The Replacement
by Well of Allsparks
Summary: The son of the Pharaoh goes missing, but only the priests know. To avoid alarming anyone, especially the Pharaoh himself, they find a local peasant boy to take his place until they find and rescue Prince Atem. But with Bakura haunting this ancient Egyptian city, how can anyone figure out what happened to him? Blindshipping, you can see it as platonic or romantic.
1. A Princely Problem

It feels like it's been a long while since I focused on fan fiction. College is getting pretty stressful, and at this point in time, I'm ready to graduate already and start teaching. And, I've started getting into fandoms without writing. Anyway, this story is coming along pretty well, so I thought I'd start posting it. I don't own anything in this story, and I sincerely hope you like it.

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"Hey, Yuugi, watch out!" A voice came from behind me. I turned to see what was going on, and got a cloth ball to the face. I stumbled back, tripping over the low brick wall I had just stepped down off from a moment ago. My rear end hit the ground, knocking the wind out of me. The cloth ball rolled a few feet away. "Hey! Throw it back, would you?"

I rolled over and crawled forward to pick up the ball and went to throw it back to the other kids. It went severely away from the target, but they were already running to grab it, laughing about my lack of coordination. Then, they were off again, and I was getting back to my feet and dusting my pants off. I played with them once, a while ago, because some adults were loitering around and bullied them into letting me play. It hasn't happened since.

Some shouting came from a block down, the opposite direction the other kids were. I turned, climb back up onto the short stone wall to get a better look. The shouting started again, louder, and even though I couldn't catch what was being said, I could see movement. There were people just now running across the street. I squinted, wondering what was going on as the last of them flit across the way. Is that… gold? Are those the priests?

"And I heard that that thief king, the one that's been causing trouble, killed him." One of the kids behind me stated. I glanced over my shoulder to see they had stopped playing their game.

"Oh, really? Don't you think we would have heard something, if that happened?"

"No way, man! We'd be the last ones to find out! If anything, they killed him and we're just waiting for the white flag."

"Well, I'm thinking about leaving. Yeah, my older brother knows how to sail, so we can go north over the sea and make a name for ourselves somewhere more stable than this hell hole."

"You're going to leave us behind? Come on!"

"What are we going to do? I'm too young to die."

"We aren't going to die. Who wants to rule a dead kingdom? No, no, we're going to be a part of some evil army. How do you feel about swords?"

"My dad died in a big fight like that!"

"I too young to-" I didn't hear the rest of that conversation, because someone suddenly grabbed my arm from behind. I was pulled backward, over the edge of the short stone wall that I've been walking along, balancing for the last half our or so. I fell over it, but this time, I landed on my feet, surrounded by tall figures in expensive clothes.

"What?" I gasped, my heart beating quickly, unable to understand what's going on. These are the priests!

"Bring him." One of them instructed, and I was suddenly pulled along, spirited away from the courtyard and from what I could see, the other kids didn't even notice I was getting kidnapped.

I was pulled into a dim room, and released. I stood there, not understanding what was going on. The three of them were picking at me, poking, and discussing something over my head.

"I think so."

"Their hair is similar, at least."

"But we'll have to put the red in."

"He's a little shorter."

"He never goes without his taller shoes, most no one would guess how short he is without them."

"We'll have to get him cleaned up. Dirt, all over. These clothes are filthy, and- stand up straight." I was wacked in the back. I did so, beginning to hyperventilate.

"You're going to make the kid have a panic attack." One of them pushed another away. This one came to stand right in front of me. Two hands fell on my shoulders, and he lowered down to look me in the eyes. "What's your name, son?"

"Y- Yuugi."

"Not anymore. It won't be forever, but now your name is Atem. Alright?"

"But… but it isn't." I trembled. "What's going on?"

"We don't have time to explain it right now, but you'll be compensated for your time and trouble. All you need to know is, your name is Atem, and you've just snuck out of the palace. This is the fifth time this moon, and you did it to play those games of yours, and you won't do it again."

"What?"

"Your name is Atem and you've snuck out of the palace again. Can you remember that?"

I nodded.

"Your name is Atem, not Yuugi. It won't be forever, but just for now. You and your family will receive a reward when this is over. I will personally seek out your family tonight to account for your absence, but for now, your name is Atem."

I tried to calm down, still not understanding, but thinking I could work with this. "My name is Atem."

"Good." He let me go and stood up, looking to one of the others and gesturing to me. "He's perfect. Come on, we have to get him back to the palace."

"This is never going to work."

"He's meek and quiet, this is never going to work. Even if the boy's personality doesn't give it away, he doesn't have the Millennium Puzzle. Atem goes nowhere without the Millennium Puzzle." He was the priest with the Millennium Rod. He patrols the streets quite often, keeping an eye out for the thief king and enforcing the curfew. The one that had talked to me wore a white headdress and wore a Millennium Item I didn't know the name of. It's a necklace; a large ring with several golden spikes hanging downward.

"We'll figure it out. This is our best idea, and we're going to try it. Come on."

We went back out into the dying light. The sun will set within the hour, and before this happened, I was already thinking on going back home. Now, Grandpa is going to be worried sick. Until the nice one goes to talk with him, I guess. I still don't know what's happening, but I can tell that they are all scared of something, and they think my pretending to be this 'Atem' person is going to help. If I can help, then, I want to do what I can.

The palace is even bigger up close than I expected. I've seen it from afar many times, but I've never even been up to the outer gates. The walls were taller than I thought walls could be, and as big as everything was, there was a surprisingly little amount of people about. It took what felt like forever to get from the gates up to the entrance doors. Then, inside, we met almost no one also. There were workers; cleaning things and moving heavy objects around. There was one man painting on the walls, and it looked pretty cool. We did encounter one older man who wore clean, expensive looking clothes who called me Atem and asked me why I looked so dirty.

"Ah… I snuck out again." I glanced toward the priests, then back to this man. "Sorry?"

He gave an unimpressed face, turning his nose up and complimenting the priests on catching me. At this, the priests ushered me away again. We went around corners and up a flight of stairs, through doors, until we reached what was surely some remote corner of the palace that I had no hopes of being able to find my way out of.

"This is your room." The nice one stated, opening a door into a large, beautiful room. It was clean, light, and clear. There were many objects which Grandpa wouldn't be able to afford with a year's worth of savings, and the clothes that hung on and from the bed looked softer than anything I'd ever touched before. "You'll sleep in here and spend all your spare time here. While you're in here, no one will get too close and suspect you of not being you. Only come out when one of us are here, alright? I don't care what you've got to say; no one's allowed in your room except you and your own servants."

"My servants?" I frowned, unsurprised but startled by the idea.

"That's right. You are of noble class right now. You'll find the washroom through there, and your clothing in the wardrobe on the other side of the door, there. If you're having trouble putting the gold on, as one of the servants for help. You need to look just like him."

"Like who? Atem?" I don't know who 'Atem' is, but obviously I shouldn't be pretending to be him. I get the feeling that he's someone important enough that playing this imitation game could get me thrown in prison, or worse, judged by the Millennium Items. But, if those wielding them are the ones putting me here, maybe I'm safe?

"That's right."

"Come on, we have to speak with the Pharaoh." The one with the Rod insisted, putting a hand on the shoulder of the one with the black headdress. "Karim, you'll talk with the servants?"

Karim nodded, and they all left me there. I stood in the doorway to the beautiful, clean room, and looked down at my dirty feet. I didn't even wear shoes, as I normally would when I intended to travel farther from the courtyard. I looked back into the room, knowing deeply that this was wrong. But, I don't know what else to do other than to go along with what they want. If I do get into trouble, then, I'll just be honest and tell whoever finds me out that those three priests told me to do it.

I found white robes in the wardrobe, along with several other garments. There was a soft, cotton, black cloak that looked worn, and several pieces of golden jewelry that I could only guess how much they were worth. Opting to take only the basics, I went to inspect the washroom. Whoever 'Atem' is, he wouldn't have dirt caked into his knees and matted hair like I've got. I need to clean up, and I'm sure the washroom wouldn't be too difficult to figure out.

I had only just gotten into the bath, happy with the temperature, when someone came into the room. I sat up quickly, but the humbly – but cleanly – dressed person didn't pay me any mind. Instead, they carried two small bowls with strange substances into the washroom and sat them at the counter.

"What's that?" I asked.

"Hair dye, my- ah…" The servant stuttered, almost addressing me as they would 'Atem', before remembering I wasn't him. They blinked, staring at my face, before looking away, then to me again.

"Yuugi."

"Hair dye, Yuugi."

"Actually, I don't really know what's going on, but those three seemed really freaked out that someone might find out I'm not him, so maybe we should just pretend my name is Atem?"

The servant's face started to go red, but judging from their face it wasn't from embarrassment. They were getting flustered. "It isn't much better, sir." They bowed quickly. "It won't take long, and once it is finished, you can wash it out in the bath. Do you mind?" They gestured toward me.

I shifted uncomfortably, but shook my head. I want to help out however I can, and apparently this wouldn't be weird for people of upper classes, so I can't argue.

An hour later, I was washing out my hair. The servant was long gone, and they'd only put red paint onto the tips of my hair. Apparently, it was already very similar to Atem's hair. That's probably why they chose me, actually, because my hair is rather unique.

Back in the bedroom, I realized that the servant hadn't disappeared entirely. Or, perhaps, they'd just come back. Gold laid out on the bed, from the wardrobe, and the servant stood by, waiting for me.

"What's your name?" I asked, getting irritated by referring to them as 'the servant' in my head.

"You may call me Seth." They bowed their head. "You must wear these; they are a symbol of your status. Keep yourself clean and your back straight." They began to instruct me on how to pull this impersonation off as they put the gold onto me. It was heavy, and cold on my skin. At least, at first. "Hold your head high, always wear shoes, try not to let people see the callouses on your hands. The more you stay in here, the less likely people will realize you're an imposter. Lady Isis will be informed of who you actually are also, but no one else must know."

"Why am I here? Why am I doing this?" I asked. "I mean, who is Atem, and where did he go?"

Seth hesitated, pulling his hands away from where he'd been straightening the gold piece on my shoulders. I met his eyes, and he ducked away.

"Please, tell me. I can't be much help unless I know what's going on."

"He's the prince." Silence suddenly assaulted the room, and Seth avoided eye contact with me. My heart stopped for a solid second and a half, before restarting and I exhaled sharply.

"The prince?" I'm impersonating the Pharaoh's son?! There's no way I could pull it off! This would be heresy of the highest order! I could be executed on the spot for this!

They nodded, moving to put the last piece of gold on my bicep. "You'll have lessons in two days, but right now it's the weekend. Do you know how to write?" I shook my head. "The priests will figure something out. Hopefully, they'll be able to find the Prince before then."

"What happened to him?" I demanded, getting back on subject. "Is he alright?" My mind was immediately jumping to what the other kids had been talking about, before I'd been kidnapped.

Seth shook their head. "I don't know. No one does. Earlier today, he just disappeared. Priest Mahad spoke with him last night, and I was told that the Prince had intended to leave to play some games with the common folk, on the other side of the gates. However, he hasn't shown up yet, and they're convinced that he isn't going to. You were brought in to fill in until they can find him."

"But what if he's never coming back?" I fret. "What if he's hurt, or if he'd just run away?"

"Then, eventually…" Seth shrugged, taking a step back, "I don't know. Ah… I will bring dinner to you soon. Tomorrow, it's recommended you stay in here as long as you can. But, if you have to leave, the palace court yard is just down the stairs and to the south. Don't go anywhere else and try not to talk with anyone."

"Shouldn't I know a little bit more about Ate- ah… the Prince before I try to be him?" I reached out, and Seth flinched away. I stopped, retracting my arm and wondering what sort of person usually lived in this room. "At least, please, make sure my Grandpa knows I'm okay."

"I'll talk with the priests." They bowed their head and turned, quickly leaving. Then, I really was alone.

The ground is smooth and clean, the bed is large and soft. There is a large mirror in the washing room, allowing me to see my newly dyed hair. The washtub is large enough to fit three of my selves inside, and the water comes from somewhere outside. It's warm, so I suspect a fire somewhere. Outside the window, I see that I am high above the ground. I can see out past the gates I'd come in through, at least, I can off to the side. In front of me stretched a field in which horses were grazing and ands were tending to them. There's a hill to the other side, with another stone building that was clearly a part of the palace grounds. I can't see much of the city from here, and I had no hopes of seeing my own home. I probably won't for a while.

I stayed up late, watching the orange sky turn black, and the stars come out to replace the faint, wispy clouds that had begun to form this evening. Seth brought in a plate for me, but I saw no one else the entire time. When finally my eyelids were too heavy to keep open any longer, I crawled into the massive bed, which felt cold and empty.

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This probably won't have a whole lot of chapters. This story should be pretty compact. And, I will say that my favorite version of Yami/Atem to write is somewhere between Season 0 and the anime. He represents darkness and while that doesn't mean evil, it does mean shadow.

The Egyptian soul has five parts. In my headcanon, the two of them are separate people in that they have separate Ba (personality, represented by soul room), Ka (vital spark, represented by their beings that can walk around their soul rooms), and Ren (name, so long as their name is remembered, they have power). However, only Yuugi has the Jb (heart, about will, intention, and what is weighed when entering the afterlife) and only Yami has sheut (shadow, or the lasting impression on the world). So, Yami is Yuugi's shadow and Yuugi is Yami's heart. Yuugi needs Yami to make an impression, make friends and have confidence, while Yami needs Yuugi to have the right motive, compassion, and emotion.

If you really liked it, please leave a review. If you think I could improve in areas, please leave a review also. I don't know unless you tell me.


	2. What the Pharaoh Doesn't Know

**EDIT** I added a bit to this chapter to make it and the next one a good length. Check the end of this chapter to make sure you've read the right one!

I'm getting these chapters out as soon as I proofread each one. When I write for myself, I don't pay attention to grammatical errors or continuity inconsistencies, but I want it to be just right for you all. So that usually means about a chapter a day, given my schedule. Or, I can procrastinate homework and other adult duties and proofread multiple chapters. Either way, here's the next!

I don't own YuGiOh, but I hope you like what I've done with it.

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The next day, I relaxed a bit and began to explore the room. It's very nice in here, and clearly the original inhabitant enjoyed games. There are a number of them stuffed into drawers and cabinets; some put away properly, few just stuffed away quickly. There was also a stash of charcoal pencils and papers; some blank and some used. There are writings, which I couldn't read, that went along with pictures. There were actually many pictures; Atem is a good artist. He's drawn many people, a few I recognize to be the priests and the servant. A few half-finished ones I suspected to be self-portraits, but none that are completed. Sure enough, his hair is very similar to my own. In fact, his face was very similar to mine also. He just looked… I don't know. He looked just different enough from me that it didn't look like a bunch of pictures of me, but that's what they all look like at a first glance. Maybe it's just because they aren't done all the way? It's almost like we're twins.

Seth brought me lunch, and after a very brief conversation, I resolved to travel to this courtyard. They left and I spent the moment mentally preparing myself for the journey. I'll have to make a good effort to memorizing the path, because I really don't want to forget the way back here. I still don't think I should be here, doing this, but it is kind of nice as a change. How many kids can say they got to pretend to be the Prince for a day? How many can even say they slept in a bed like this?

Suddenly, the door cracked open. I thought it was just Seth, at first, until I realized that the figure was much too large. I stood upright, remembering to straighten my back and lift my chin as I turned to look over my shoulder at…

The Pharaoh stood in my doorway, ducking his head.

"My son." He greeted, and I was too frozen in place to respond. He came in, apparently not barred by the rules that no one but myself and my servants may enter. Of course not, he's 'my' father. He's the Pharaoh! I don't know if only one of those gives him the right to enter, but, they both kept me frozen to my location and sincerely hoping he doesn't expect a lot of reaction from me. He didn't seem to be upset by my not talking so far, at least.

What am I doing, impersonating the Pharaoh's son, to his face?

"I realize I've been busy lately, however, Bakura's activities have been rising in frequency. I can't spend the time around here as I once had. But this is no excuse for you to be sneaking out every other night." He sat at the end of the bed.

I turned to face him, as I stood next to the desk across the room from the foot of the bed. What do I say? What am I supposed to say? I don't know anything about the Prince; how am I supposed to know what to say here?

"Seto informed me that they'd found you out in the village again, in commoner's clothing. I've been meaning to have a talk with you about this, and I still don't have the time right now, but you must understand, that it's dangerous out there. Three more have been found dead this morning, I'm on my way out to look at the situation now, and surely you realize how happy Bakura would be to make you one of them. I can't hope to control you now, you've always had a rebellious streak, but could we possibly compromise in agreeing that you'll only leave the palace grounds with an escort, and never at night?"

WHAT DO I SAY? "I don't know." I really don't! I can't help but to be honest, even if it felt like lying. It felt like a dirty, dirty lie, and I knew that it was, even if I meant every word of it.

He let out a sigh, and I realized that my words didn't appear too suspicious.

"I have to leave again, and I won't return until tomorrow evening. Please, don't go out again tonight." He stood up and took a step toward me.

The Pharaoh pat my back. The Pharaoh ruffled my hair. Then, the Pharaoh left, and I was all alone.

I leaned forward, pressing my palms into my knees and exhaled violently. I felt my vision shivering as my entire body trembled. How…. HOW did I get away with that? Do I really look that much like Atem, or does the Pharaoh not see his own son that often? I can't… I can't tell. I don't know… I just need to get out of here.

The palace courtyard isn't the same as the one back home, but it's a courtyard nonetheless. This one has more too it, and it's far more beautiful, just like everything else here. There's grass, trees, a pond, and even small animals taking refuge in the shade and water. It was open, and if I laid down in the grass and closed my eyes, I could almost think I was back home.

"Atem?" A girl's voice interrupted my pretending what felt like an hour after I got out here. My eyes snapped open, before I hissed and sat up, covering them so they could readjust to the bright sunlight. "What are you doing laying in the grass?"

"Ah…" I tried to think quickly, blinking and trying to get a good look at this new person. She's about my age, and her clothing more resembles a servant's than it does an upperclassmen's daughter. But, then, she called me by the Prince's name, rather than his title. She isn't a sibling, or a cousin, because she's dressed to poorly. However, she isn't a servant because she's too informal.

"Cat got your tongue?" She laughed, plopping down into the grass with me. "You fell asleep, didn't you? I told you not to stay up so late, sneaking off like that."

"Oh, ah, yeah." I scratched my neck and laughed, but her own laugh started to fade. She gave me an odd look. I started to sweat. I have to act natural! "I didn't get to sleep until the moon was nearly set." I know that much, because I spent a lot of time watching the skies last night.

She watched me for a moment, through narrow eyes, before speaking. "Mahad's been ragging on my case to get to sleep nearly by sundown. Something about rest and magic. But… have you noticed any difference in me? I think he's exaggerating."

"Not really. I think so too." I agreed readily. Magic? As in, real magic? Am I supposed to be able to do that?

She seemed to relax a bit, but I was still uncomfortable with the amount she was staring at me. I need to get out of here.

"Hey, Atem, where's your Item? You haven't taken that thing off since the Pharaoh gave it to you." She reached over to poke me in the chest, and I watched it happen, wishing I wasn't here. It was like when Grandpa was lecturing me on staying out too late playing my games.

"I guess I left it back in my room." What am I supposed to say? I didn't even know the Prince had a Millennium Item. I don't know what it is or what it looks like, but I think I remember the priests talking about it.

She was quiet for a long minute, before suddenly leaning forward and grabbing my face between her two hands. She tilted it either direction, analyzing me closely. I could feel my face warming up, and I felt my heart picking up. I can't even last a day, can I? I should have just stayed in the room like I was told.

"You aren't Atem, are you?" She lowered her voice.

I stared, trembling, still with my face between her hands. But, she maintained eye contact and refused to let me look away until I answered.

I closed my eyes tightly and whispered, "No."

She let me go, and when I opened my eyes, I saw her farther away and with her arms around her legs, looking disturbed.

"But I'm supposed to be pretending I am." I kept my voice low. "I don't know why, or where he is, but three priests brought me here and told me to pretend."

"Where did Atem go?" She demanded, not keeping her voice down.

"Shhh!" I looked around, but there didn't appear to be anyone else around. "I don't know. Wherever he is, I'm sure he's fine."

"Then… who are you?" She rounded on me, only now receptive to my chosen volume level.

"My name is Yuugi Mouto. I live with my grandfather next to one of the community gardens. That's where we both work, though sometimes he goes to work making bricks, but usually not. I'm sorry, but, I really don't know what's going on."

"Well, if you're supposed to be pretending to be Atem, you're doing a terrible job." She seemed to calm down. "You look like him, so long as whoever's looking didn't know him their whole life and grew up with him. But, you're too small."

"They said I was shorter." I nodded.

"No, that's not what I'm talking about. I mean, yeah, you're short, but you're smaller. You know, like, smaller. The way you hold yourself, it's like some commoner."

"I am some commoner."

"Not right now. I'm going to go have a talk with Mahad; I'm sure he knows what's going on, and I trust him. So, if he wants you to pretend, then I'll help you. You can't shrink in on yourself like that." She gestured to all of me.

I pulled my shoulders back and lifted my chin. "Sorry, I get intimidated."

"Not anymore, alright? If you get intimidated or scared, don't make yourself smaller to be less of a target, or whatever. You need to get bigger, to show off your confidence and make sure that whoever's bothering you knows you aren't messing around. Atem's got a big head, and he doesn't step down."

"What else?" I'm eager for help, because no one's been willing to tell me anything about Atem!

She tapped her chin. "Well, you're too nice. He doesn't ask questions or say sorry for stuff he can't help. He commands attention and insists things are alright, even when they aren't. You seem like the kind of person who would bend over to pick up the papers someone dropped. You can't do that; you've got to act like a prince."

"I don't know how to do that, though. I mean, you figured me out almost immediately. And, how long is he supposed to be gone?"

"I don't know where he is." Her face sobered, and she bowed her head. "I hope he's alright. I mean, he's still go the Puzzle, wherever he is. So, he'll probably be alright. Didn't the priests tell you anything?"

I shook my head.

"I'm going to talk to Mahad." She decided, and stood up. "I've got lessons with him soon anyway. You should probably stay in his room, though. Ah… to help…" She thought, offering a hand to help me up. I took it, and she retracted her arm quickly to tap her chin once more. "Don't back down from things. He loves playing games, and he's pretty secretive. So don't be so open in admitting things or in conversations. Maybe it would be best to say you're sick. Meet me back out here later this evening, alright? Before sunset."

I nodded. "Alright. Wait, what's your name?"

She grinned and winked to me. "Mana."

When I got back into Atem's room, there was a different servant in there, changing the bedsheets with new ones. They hadn't appeared dirty or anything, but then, I don't know anything about palace life. He had longer hair than Seth, and judging from the nervous looks he gave me, he knew I wasn't Atem also. So now, some – if not all – of the priests know, Mana knows, and all of Atem's servants know. I wish that I knew why this was happening!

Much later, a knock came to the door. I went to open it, and I was greeted by the familiar face of Priest Mahad. Didn't Mana say she had lessons with him? Maybe they're over?

"How are you faring in here?" He asked, formal and as if I really were supposed to be here.

"Fine, I suppose." I glanced around. Can I ask questions here, or is it not secure enough?

He frowned, then lowered his voice. "You shouldn't suppose anything. You should be certain and confident about everything… my Prince."

"Sorry." I ducked my head, and he frowned more. I locked my jaw and stood upright, lifting my chin. "I'm fine. Is there something you wanted?"

He nodded, approving a bit more. "I had a discussion with the Pharaoh earlier, and he told me that you two had a conversation about your sneaking out. Then, I suppose you've rethought your actions?" He's actually asking about how well the Pharaoh – the Pharaoh himself! – was fooled into thinking I was his son.

What am I supposed to say? How do I answer? I mean, I'm pretty sure he bought it pretty well. Ah… "I won't be leaving the Palace grounds for a while." I nodded, trying to sound confident and as if that's what we were talking about. "The Pharaoh took my word."

He nodded, approving, and I realized just how nervous he was about this whole thing.

"Could I ask you a few questions?" I inquired, really not sure how this would go down.

"I'm sorry, my Prince. I have places to be." He denied quickly, turning on his heel and leaving. I leaned out of the door to watch him go. I'm starting to get the hang of pretending to be someone I'm not, but, I'm really starting to worry about the person who is supposed to be here. What if he's really in trouble? And… what about my Grandpa? Did they really talk with him?

I sighed and leaned on the doorframe. I wish someone would talk to me!

Wait! Mana had been in lessons with him, but now, clearly, they're over. Mana was talking with me, so maybe it's time to meet her in the courtyard? Oh, I hope so.

The sky was dimmer than it had been the last time I was in here. Almost the entire courtyard is cast in shadow, and Mana was already sitting on a bench there. I went to join her, making a conscious effort of keeping my back straight and holding my head high. I tried not to shuffle along, but I still couldn't help but to feel like anyone that happened to look my way would immediately realize I wasn't even an upper class kid, let alone the Prince.

"Hey, you." Mana greeted.

"Hey." I nodded back, trying hard not to look freaked out. "So, did you talk with Mahad?"

She nodded, lowering her voice again and leaning in. "He was upset that I realized, but he wasn't surprised either. He explained everything to me. Two nights ago, Atem snuck out like he usually does. Mahad and Seto had seen him sneaking out, but he gave them the slip. Mahad trailed him, though, but didn't want him to know. See, Atem is pretty good at knowing when he's being watched, but Seto and Mahad didn't want to leave him completely alone. So, just Mahad stayed out, to minimize the risk of Atem finding out and throwing a fit. Then, some thieves showed up while Mahad wasn't watching, and it was too late to track them down and follow that night. So, yesterday, they, and Karim, went out to figure out who took him and where they went. They haven't had much luck yet, but when they say you, they figured that you could stand in while they track Atem down. Egypt is really unstable right now, because of Bakura, so if the Pharaoh gets distracted with trying to find his son, we'd all become vulnerable to the Thief King. And if word that the prince has gone missing escapes out to the common folk, things could go sour too. So, you just have to pretend to be Atem until they find him."

"Have they figured anything out yet?" I trembled, thinking of all the horrible things that might have happened to him. I really hope he's alright!

She shook her head. "Not that he told me. He didn't want to tell me that much, but I threatened to tell everyone that you're an imposter."

"Well, is there anything else I can do? To help find Atem?"

She shrugged. "The most you can do is keep pretending to be him."

I stopped for a moment, thinking her words over carefully. "Pretending to be him."

"Yeah. I mean, that's why they brought you here, isn't it?"

"Yeah, but what if I did? What if I did pretend to be him, and I did what he does? I sneak out, and then the thieves won't know if they got the real one and they'll doubt themselves. So then, they'll take me too, and then we'll know where they took him!"

She blinked, leaning back and giving me a surprised look. "You'd do that? You think that would work?"

"We could give it a try. I would just feel awful to be sitting here, doing nothing and taking over his life while he's out there, probably suffering. I've got to try it."

She stared at me for a moment, before nodding. "Let's tell the priests, so that they know what the plan is."

I hesitated, looking around, and she sighed, rolling her eyes.

"I'll go talk with the priests, you stay here."

Then, I was alone in the courtyard again. I laid down on the bench, listening to the birds and watching the sky get darker and darker. I've been here about a day now, and I really hope that Grandpa isn't worrying too much. More than that, I think, I hope that the real Prince is okay. He's been gone for almost two days, now, and I don't even want to think about if we're already too late.

I'm pretty sure the sun had set when Mana finally came back. The stars weren't quite out yet, for the sky was still a deep orange color and slowly fading to a dark blue, but here on the ground, it was pretty dark.

"They aren't biting." She sat next to me again when I sat up. "It's too risky, and they think the thieves won't buy it. It's probably Bakura, intending to use Atem as leverage against the Pharaoh, and there's no way Bakura would fall for something like this."

"But we have to try something!" I insisted. "Even if it doesn't work, then what? Worst case scenario, I come back here and keep pretending to be the Prince."

"I know, I know, but they think it's too risky." She threw her arms up.

We were mutually quiet for a moment, until I couldn't take it anymore. I have to do something!

"What if I just left? The Prince sneaks out all the time, I can do the exact same thing. Then, you wait a little bit until I'm on the outside, then tell them that I did it anyway. Then they'll have to come and watch, unless they want everyone to find out I'm not the real Prince. They'll have to chase after me, right?"

She nodded. "I was thinking the same thing. I'll even show you our usual way out. Go get your- ah… his traveling cloak and meet me here again." She pulled me up and pushed me back the direction I'd come. "Hurry up, the sooner we find Atem, the better."

I assume the dark cloaks, which are pretty worn, are his traveling cloaks. It covered me almost entirely, even dragging on the ground a bit since I'm clearly shorter than him. His gold, which I wore, would be covered, and I seen how easily he might be mistaken as a commoner while sneaking out.

Mana lead me to a cellar on the far side of the courtyard, which had a direct passage to the kitchens. There were wine bottles along one wall and a few servants' beds in one offshoot room. A fireplace with no fire, and likely hadn't had one for a while, was right next to the exit. The kitchens had a few servants, who didn't pay us any mind. They all thought I was Atem, who came through on his way to sneaking out quite often.

Then, we went through a serving passage past the main dining room, then out to the outside. There were piles of discarded scraps and bones put into the soil, and it smelled awful, and this is where she and I parted.

"Wait until you're deep into the village before taking down your hood. Hang around the plaza; that's where he often plays games. Play some games if you know them and if you're good at them. He doesn't usually lose. If you don't know the game, or don't think you could win, decline. It isn't weird for him to decline playing a game just because he doesn't want to." She instructed. Stay out until the plaza empties, then come back. We'll try again the next night if it doesn't work this time. It takes about half an hour to get to the plaza, so I'm going to wait to tell the priests for a little bit to give you time. Alright?"

I nodded, plugging my nose. "I can do this."

She grinned and hugged me. "I hope you find him."

"Me too."

* * *

For the most part, I would count this as the last exposition chapter. After this, we'll get more to the meat of the story. Mana is trying to act responsible and she's trying to 'roll with it', but she's pretty worried about him. Yuugi is too, even though they've never met.

Please, leave a review and tell me what's on your mind. I always love guesses, and I also love helpful criticism. Have a great day!


	3. And Then There Were Two

I've got another one I'll probably start posting once this one is finished. Unlike this one, it isn't completed, so I'll have my typical posting until I loose my momentum, write maybe another chapter, then stop for an uncomfortably long amount of time. Probably. However, this other one is actually my second-favorite YuGiOh story I've written, after only after Birthmark.

I don't own anything, I hope you like the chapter. Things start rolling here.

* * *

The walk to the outer gates was longer than I remembered. The stars were out by the time I reached the village, and just a few buildings in, I found myself coming to a stop. I don't know where the plaza is. I'm not from that part of the village, and I've only been there a handful of times in my lifetime. Grandpa goes there occasionally, during the spring and fall markets, but I always stay home. It's going to take me longer to find it because I don't know where I'm going.

But then, I could go this direction and check on Grandpa. I could ask him where the plaza is, and then I'd know that he's alright and he can know that I'm alright. No one's told me anything about him, so I have no idea if anyone really did talk with him.

No. I have a mission, and Grandpa will be fine until I come back.

"I am the Pharaoh's son, Atem. I am the Prince of Egypt, and I want to play games." I spoke to myself, pumping myself up and getting into character.

Suddenly, everything went black.

The first thing that came back to me was feeling. I was being carried. I'm folded over someone's shoulder, and they're walking. It's uncomfortable, and my head hurts. Then, sound returned. There are people talking, but I can't make out what they're saying. I concentrated harder, keeping my eyes closed and prolonging the recovery of sight so that I could hear what my captors were saying.

"Obviously they're going to have doubles. Bakura's been rattling everyone up, and someone this important has to have protection. So, how would we know if we even have the right one now? The real one probably isn't dumb enough to leave the castle."

"Does it matter? As much gold as just these two have, we can ditch and leave Bakura to figure it out himself."

"He ain't going to like that."

"He ain't going to find out. Besides, one of these two kids have got to be the real one, and chances are, the Pharaoh would pay good money to have either of them back. They wouldn't waste so much effort on a clone if he ain't valuable too."

"Bakura ain't in it for the money! He's angry."

"I don't care what he is." The confident one is the one carrying me. The other one is somewhere to my right, or to the left of the one carrying me.

I tested my eyesight as they talked. We're somewhere dark, probably underground, judging from how chilly it is. I don't think I was knocked out for very long. Panic started to seep through my veins; it's too early! There's no way Mana had talked to the Priests yet. They wouldn't have had enough time to come out and find me yet! Now I'm kidnapped and trapped here, and still no one knows where Atem is!

"I think this one is waking up."

They stopped walking, and someone grabbed me by the scruff of my robes. I was hoisted into the air, then dropped on the ground and two intimidating men towered over me with dark expressions.

"Are you the Prince?"

"Yes." I looked around nervously, before they demanded my attention again.

"Are you sure? What is your name?"

"A- Atem." I stuttered, refusing to break character. Somewhere behind me, something fell.

"Are you really?"

I kept quiet now, not really trusting myself to lie terribly. I'm scared, but I can't give up! I've dealt with bullies plenty of times before.

"We ain't going to get anything more out of this one either. Throw him in the cell with the first one." The one that wasn't interrogating me insisted.

A door opened up behind me, and I was pushed backward into it. I fell onto the ground, back of my head cracking against the stone and my vision got fuzzy for a moment. The door must have closed and locked during that time, because when I sat up, it was sealed. There are no bars, and the entire room is like a cave, underground and without any way to see down the hall I'd just been dragged down.

Footsteps disappeared. It's dark in here, with just a single torch somewhere above me. I was frozen where I was, leaning back on my palms and my feet still pointing toward the door.

Then, a voice came from behind me.

"Who are you?"

I seized up, closing my eyes, not willing to give up yet but also rather confident that I'm going to snap soon. "I am the Prince, Atem."

"No, you aren't." The voice disagreed. It was far away, and it wasn't moving. It sounded angry and confused.

"I am the Prince, Atem." I repeated. "I am-"

"Stop saying that!" The voice snapped, and it echoed slightly. I flinched back and lowered my head. I covered it, my heart beating quickly and my entire body trembling. I heard footsteps approaching, then the other person came to a stop right next to me. "I'm not this pathetic, and I certainly wouldn't cower before those fools."

I stopped, taking a deep breath and realizing… ' _Throw him in the cell with the first one'._

I sat up and looked to the other person. It was like looking in a mirror… or, a slightly altered mirror. There were some noticeable differences between us, and even taking in consideration he is standing up and glaring down at me, sitting on the ground, he was obviously taller than me. However, I realized immediately that I didn't need to keep up the façade anymore.

"Why are you wearing my clothes and my name?" He looks angry. "Have they replaced me already? Am I worth so little?"

I relaxed and couldn't help myself from hugging him. He tensed up and held his arms out to his sides, avoiding touching me, and I realized that my actions were entirely inappropriate. I took a step back, now on my feet. I mean, we've never even met.

"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry. It's just, I was worried that you wouldn't be alright. Everyone is, and I couldn't just do nothing. I didn't mean to take anything of yours, I just wanted to help." I defended myself, hoping to make him see I'm not trying to be mean.

His expression was no longer the glare, but I couldn't identify it very well. "What?"

"I, I guess I should start at the beginning." I sighed, finally beginning to calm down. He crossed his arms and waited. I rubbed my arms nervously, thinking on how to start. This made me realize that I no longer wore all that gold, and neither did he. I decided to ignore this for now. "When you were kidnapped, the priests were really worried. They've been trying to find you constantly, but they haven't had any luck. They also didn't want to make anyone worry too much, or get too upset, so they took me to pretend to be you until they found you. They said I look kind of like you, and so for the past day or so, I've done a pretty bad job at pretending. Then, I met your friend, Mana, and she and I figured out a plan to get me kidnapped to, so the Priests could watch and figure out where they took you. They didn't think it would work, so I snuck out anyway, and Mana was going to tell them that I did so they'd have to go out and find me, but I think I was kidnapped too early, and I think they still don't know where you are. I'm really sorry for messing it up; it's all my fault. I hesitated, and I didn't do a very good job, but I couldn't sit by and do nothing!"

He frowned and narrowed his eyes at me. "You intentionally got yourself kidnapped so that you could find me?"

I nodded.

"And if you were found out, by either my family or my captors, you'd have been executed."

I nodded.

"Who are you?"

"My name is Yuugi Mouto. I live with my grandfather, who works in the gardens. It's just us two." I ducked my head. "I'm really sorry, this was a terribly failed rescue attempt."

He was quiet for a long moment, just staring at me. I started to get more nervous and I avoided eye contact. Eventually, however, he let out a sigh and seemed to deflate. "It's fine. It was an attempt none the less. I could not have expected even that much from some random commoner like yourself. However, you found yourself filling my shoes, and you still risked yourself to save me, rather than living in the lap of luxury?"

I opened and closed my mouth a few times, surprised by this line of inquiry. He doesn't beat around the bush, does he? "N- no! Of course, I had to do everything I could to help find you. I guess I did, but it's no help. I screwed up."

"You did." He agreed, finally turning away. "But no more than I did. It isn't as bad as one might expect in here, at least. There is a restroom, and fair food is provided. I believe they want me alive and healthy, probably as a bargaining chip with my father." He began pacing. "I haven't been able to figure much out about this place; however, I do believe I know where they took my Puzzle."

"Puzzle? Oh, is that one of the Mi-" He rushed forward and put a hand over my mouth. I froze.

"Don't call it that, but yes. They don't realize what it is; they believe it to be an ordinary golden pendant, and so they've stashed it with the rest of the gold they've stolen from me. If they realize what it actually is, they'll be forced to remove it from its relatively unguarded position and give it directly to Bakura." He withdrew his hand and stepped away.

"Sorry. So, have you got a plan?" I raised my eyebrows in excitement.

He gave me an odd look. "Actually, I think I do. Every day, early in the morning, they bring me out to this other room and sort of just leave me there. I think they're cleaning this room and the bathroom over there, since they seem so intent on keeping me healthy. They'll do the same with both of us. This would never have worked with just me, but with you here, it might. We will make a mess in here to make that period of time longer, giving us more time to execute this plan. Then, while we're in the other room, you will cause a distraction with the guards, as there are never more than two, while I sneak off to get the Puzzle."

"Then what?" I wondered.

"I had intended to use its abilities to escape, but that part will be more difficult with two. Also, it's imperative that they don't realize which of us is the real Prince." He mused.

"If you can't figure out a way to get both of us out, then you just go." I grinned. "They're all real worried about you, and I'm sure you could help get me out after you escape. You'll know where this place is. Just, tell my Grandpa I'm alright."

He gave me another odd look, which I wanted to question, but it felt wrong to question the Prince.

"We'll just need to figure out how to make a mess in here." He mused, looking about us. There isn't much in here to begin with. There's a single mattress, but it's a single bed of cloth that would be too difficult to tear, and simply strewn about, it would be very easy to clean up.

"Leave that to me." I insisted, already thinking of one easy way to make a mess. I've gotten in trouble with the guards of the gardens for this before, after playing with my friends. "Hey, when is feeding time?"

"It's already passed." He stated. "Are you hungry? We could make them come back. Since they don't know which of us is the real Prince, they'll have to bring more food for you."

I nodded, swallowing my nervousness and fear and going up to the door. I started banging on it, and the Prince came to join me. It didn't take long for the door to get pulled open angrily and the one that had brought me in to demand what we wanted.

"He's hungry." The Prince pointed to me.

"So?"

"Bring him food like you had me. You don't want the prince going hungry, do you?" He went along with the lie so easily, and I clutched my stomach as if I were starved. I'm actually not all that hungry anyway, because I've already eaten too.

"Missing one meal ain't going to be a problem." He started to shut the door.

"Wait." I objected. "Ah… you thick skulls really think that? Don't you know that malnutrition is as dangerous as disease?"

"If you're the real Pharaoh's son, you've been spoon fed three meals a day your entire life and missing one meal ain't going to lead to no malnutrition. If you ain't the real Pharaoh's son, then I don't care anyway." The door shut, and my heart jumped with the slam. That didn't go well.

I started banging on the door, but it sounded like the guard just left. No one heard us anymore.

"Sorry." The Prince mused, looking to me.

I sighed, looking down. In a way, I'm relieved. "It's fine."

"I'm going to sleep. I don't care what you do, but before you showed up, I was already going to sleep." He mused, walking over to the torch.

"Oh, right, yeah. That's cool." I agreed, not really bothered at all. I'm kind of tired too, and with the overbearing silence, it's clear we won't be able to get anything else done.

He extinguished the torch, and the cave of a room was cast into darkness. I couldn't see anything, and after he'd laid down on the thin mattress, I couldn't hear anything either. I found the corner and huddled up, trying to keep my breathing normal and closing my eyes to create the illusion of self-imposed darkness. I didn't get to sleep for at least an hour.

* * *

What do you think about Atem so far? There will be 8 chapters total, with one of those being more of an epilogue, because I'm terrible at ending stories. I try to think about it as, my story is just a snapshot into one of the more exciting parts of their life. All I have left is beefing up the next chapter and giving the epilogue two or three more paragraphs.

Thank you!


	4. Shadow Games

Sorry for the long wait, even though I said I'd be on top of it for this story. We just wrapped up finals at my university, which means lots of projects, tests, and planetarium shows. In any matter, it's over, and summer break is upon us! Also, I wanted to rework this particular chapter before publishing. It was a shorter than the average for this story, so I wanted to add in a bit more to develop the situation before throwing a wrench into it all.

I hope you like it. I don't own anything here.

* * *

In the morning, I was woken by a man I didn't recognize at all opening the door. Light flooded the room and the Prince was already getting up. I followed his lead, and we were ushered into another, brighter room. There were windows up high, and the ceiling was at least fifteen feet up. The room was mostly empty, and we were taken to a table and given food. It looked like a normal meal for me, but I figure that it's not what the Prince was used to. Nevertheless, we ate in silence until we were alone.

"We can't try it today." He whispered over to me. "We won't have enough time."

Sure enough, we were barely here long enough to finish eating, before we were ushered back into our original room. The torch was relit, and it looked just the same as before.

"There should be another bed." The Prince objected, pointing to the spot he had slept last night.

"You only get one. So maybe you should give it to the real Prince." The man laughed, then shut the door again. It locked, and he left.

"It's alright." I sighed, giving him a smile. "I don't mind sleeping on the ground."

He scoffed and turned away, inspecting the two rooms. The main one was about the size of his bedroom back in the palace, and the washroom was no bigger than a closet. The only thing we had to work with was the bed, and the fixtures of the washroom. The Prince told me that the water is always cold, and so cleaning up is too unpleasant to be feasible. And spreading water all about the room is too quick to clean, it isn't worth it. Setting the bed on fire is too easy, because they just bring in a new one. He tried that, apparently, the first night.

We sat in silence, after discussing possible plans, for a long time. It could have only been a few minutes, or it could have been hours; I had no way of telling. All I knew was, I found myself drawn toward the torch on the wall, and I'd begun making shadow puppets. He sat on the bed, watching with interest.

"What is that?"

"Ah… a dog." I grinned over to him. "Look, *woof*."

He snorted and leaned into the wall. "It looks closer to a rabbit."

"Oh yeah, how about this one?" I tried again, making the ears smaller and the jaw larger.

"Better." He nodded.

I thought a moment, before completely changing my hand position. "What does this one look like?"

He stared for a moment, at the flickering shadow on the wall, before tilting his head. "It resembles that of a large beetle. Is that what it is?"

"No, it's supposed to be a bird." I dropped my hands and sighed.

He slid across the ground toward me, raising up his hands into the torch light. "Try making the wings larger."

"That looks like a rock." I laughed.

He made a grumpy face, but laughed with me. "This is harder than it looks."

We started to make games out of the shadows and light. By feeding time that evening, we'd constructed a full fledged game of it, in which either of us won roughly equally. Despite our somber situation, we managed to whittle the day away. Feeding time came, and I looked down at the two plates that were slid in just now. Before the door could close, I jumped to my feet.

"I don't like carrots."

"I don't care." He looked bored, starting to pull the door closed.

"You should care!" I took a step forward, but my words fell on deaf ears. The door sealed, locked, and footsteps left.

"Are you really arguing about the food?" The Prince asked, skeptic. "You didn't seem to have a problem with carrots earlier."

"Yeah, I guess." I sighed, starting to think that my tactics aren't going to work. They genuinely don't care. Arguing doesn't work.

"Yuugi." He called for my attention, and I looked over to see that he had constructed a creature out of his food. I laughed, and mimicked his actions.

"It's Kuriboh." I motioned at my deformed blob.

"You play duel monsters?" He wondered, giving up on our short activity and eating his food.

"Oh, ah, yeah. It's one of my favorite games."

He nodded, but didn't say anything else. That night, I shivered myself to sleep in the corner of the room, under pitch-blackness once more. When I woke in the morning, it was still pitch-black. I wasn't even aware it was morning until a few minutes after consciousness came, when the door was unlocked and opened again. Just like the day before, we were equated to the other room to eat. Neither of us did or said anything until we were left mostly alone. The only one guarding us was on the edge of the room, apparently not expecting much aggression from either of us or worrying that we could escape.

"Give me some of your food." The Prince spoke quietly, indicating this was a secret plan.

I slid my trey towards him, and he began stuffing some of it into the folds of his robe. From the looks of it, he'd already stashed away his own vegetables.

"What are you going to do with that?" I wondered.

"We're going to soil the bathroom with it." He glanced around shadily. "About the fixtures, along with the dinner they give us this evening. I've tried this before, but only with my own dinner trey. There's two of us, and two meals."

"Good idea." I mused, watching to see how he hid the food. I began to copy him, until our meal time drew to an end and we agreed to eat the rest of it. Since we didn't actually have pockets or anything like that, we couldn't hide much of the food and we'll probably have to rely mostly on dinner.

My heart picked up as we approached our cell again. The guard, one of the first two I'd met, was walking behind us without suspecting a thing. I glanced back at him, trying to think quickly. He pushed past us to unlock the cell door, then stepped aside for us to enter. I didn't move, despite the fact the Prince was already inside.

"Kid, get in there." The guy stated, glaring at me. The Prince gave me a warning look.

"Make me." I insisted feebly.

"Are we really going to do this?" He sighed, grabbing a fistful of my robes and swinging me in through the door. I fought this, I tried to stay where I was, but he was several times larger than me. As soon as he let me go, I lunged to get back outside, and he blocked me. He pushed me backward, and I fell to the ground inside the cell, again. Then, also like the first time I came through that door, the door slammed shut and locked as I stared at it.

"That was a stupid move. He's three times your size. You nearly blew our cover." The Prince scoffed at me, picking at my robes where I had food hidden. Some of it had fallen out, so I decided to redirect my attention to picking this up.

"Sorry."

He glared at me, before turning away and going into the wash room. After I had collected all my gathered food, I went in to join him at smudging the floors and fixtures in here. The mess we made looked pitiful, and if this were it, it wouldn't take but a minute to clean up.

Back in the main room, he sat on the mattress and I on the ground. W remained in silence for a while, before I started to make shadow puppets again. He scoffed, still in a bad mood, and leaned against the wall.

"Is that the only game you know?"

I stopped and tilted my head. "I know several others, but most require toys."

"Most?"

"Sure." I pivoted slightly, where I sat, so I could face him a bit better. "Do you want to try this game? It works better with three or more people, but it might be alright with two. See, here,"

"No." He cut me off quickly, turning away. I had my hands raised out, palm up, and had started to draw my left hand over to my right hand. I froze when he spoke, however, and it took a moment for my brain to catch up. He must already know it.

I thought a bit longer, lowering my hands to my side. I want to help him, but I don't want to make him feel bothered by my presence. I looked back toward the torch, and an idea came to me.

"How about this?" I drew his attention again. "I've played this one with Grandpa before. I bet we could use the torch to chip off a pebble or two, and you've got to toss or slide it to the right spot without going too far or not far enough."

"There are already some pebbles." He stated, leaning over to grab at something in the corner behind his mattress. He came closer, holding his cupped palm out to show them to me. "Is it this simple of a game?"

"Well, yeah, but it's harder than it sounds. Sometimes, you've got to go around something, sometimes you've got to go on top of something." I picked two pebbles out of the four from his palm, then walked to about halfway across the room. I set them about a foot apart from each other, so that they made goals. "Try to make it right between these two." I motioned.

He crouched down and set one pebble on the ground, then shot it forward. He overshot by quite a bit, but with the second pebble, he got a lot closer. I gathered them both and went to where he still crouched, taking my turn. It was good fun for a while, until we started bouncing them intentionally to see how many times we could get the pebble to hop.

Eventually, dinner came and I tried to push past the guard to the outside. It was shut on my face, bruising my forehead, but I didn't care much. Behind me, the Prince started to eat his food. He didn't eat much of it, however; focusing on the nuts that wouldn't make much of a mess. I skipped eating entirely and took my plate in to the wash room. After that, we attempted to bounce the pebbles into our plates.

We got bored of this eventually, and he began spinning his plate – a lopsided ovular shape – on its end. I followed suit, and we began to race. He called our games to an end, eventually, and doused the torch. I felt my way to my corner, and another day had passed in captivity.

In the morning, when we were taken into another room for breakfast, I tried to draw the attention of the guard on duty. They seem to switch off every day.

"I don't think we'll have much time." The Prince mused under his breath as I feigned a brutal injury to my hand.

The guard came over, and I refused to let him see it. I cried in agony, and the Prince stood up. The guard gave him a weary look, but quickly went back to trying to console me. He began inching away, and it looked like we might succeed!

Another guard came into the room. "What's all this?" My cries had drawn the others' attention, giving more eyes for the Prince to have to sneak past. Shoot.

"This one's hurt." The guard, the more flighty one, pointed to me.

"Sit down." The new one barked at the Prince. He sat down quickly, glaring, as the new guard came to grab my arm. I was pulled away from the table, arm held up to show off the red part on my skin that I was pretending was a horrible gash. "He's fine, look at this. They tried to have a food fight in the wash room too, apparently. If they both can't be the Pharaoh's son, I'm certain one of them is; spoiled brat." He threw me toward the direction he had come from. "Come on, breakfast is over. Get back in your hole."

It didn't work. The food was too easy to clean up, and as I tried to insult this man's loyalties, the door shut and locked again. Once more, we were trapped without hope.

This continued on for two more days, and we created more and more games with what little we had. Plates were taken during the morning cleanup, so we didn't have then all that long, but they too became a part of our games. We continued to think on ways to make a larger mess in this room, even going as far as to requesting paint for the benevolent cause of entertainment. They did not appease our request, and we continued to brainstorm. My attempts at aggressing the guards continued to fail, and I was starting to think I'd have to talk with the Prince about it. I didn't want it on his conscience, but it may have to happen.

Then, when they came to take us back to the cave room on the fifth day since I'd come here, something changed.

"You won't have to be here much longer." The guard said as we walked. "Pretty soon, Bakura will be coming by to complete this job."

"And why is that?" The Prince asked, tired and humoring him.

"Because he just finished off one person standing in his way." He opened up the room for us. We both stepped in, then looked back curiously at the guard. He had an evil grin on his face, looking between the both of us. "I hope you enjoy one of your last days in here, Pharaoh." He addressed both of us, since he didn't know which of us was the Prince. Atem and I both stayed where we were, processing this last sentence, as the door shut and locked. Footsteps walked away, and then suddenly, the Prince fell over onto the ground and let out a cry.

I fell to my knees beside him, not sure what to do. "What is it?"

"No." He was struggling to control himself. "No, I'm fine. I'm alright. It's no big deal, because we can't give it away."

"What are you talking about?" I wanted to hug him, but I knew he wouldn't react well to it.

"Pharaoh." He lowered his voice, eyes already getting red and his entire demeanor changed. He looked... he looked like he was giving up. "My father is dead."

Shock shot through me. I think I'd already put it together, but I couldn't believe it. When I'd met him, he'd been so alive. He'd been healthy and… he was alive! How could I believe that that man was no dead? And, how much harder is it for _Atem_ to believe he's dead?

"I'm so sorry." I trembled and reached out to put a hand on his shoulder. He was trembling too, but suddenly his arm shot up to grip my wrist. He didn't push me away, he just gripped my wrist tightly. I didn't try to pull away, even when it got too tight, because he was rapidly composing himself. Within moments, he looked as if he'd just been told that the Pharaoh was dead, not his father.

"We have to get out of here." He avoided looking at me.

I nodded silently.

* * *

We're definitely over half way through. The rest of the story is - I'm rather certain - completed. So, I'll just go and read through it again now to insure that each chapter is up to par. More than likely, I'll have the final chapter up soon.

Enjoy your Summer!


	5. Watch Your Temper

Here is the next chapter. This really is a relatively short story, but it's one of my favorites for Yu-Gi-Oh that I've written. I hope you like it!

* * *

Our day passed without games and laughter this time. It passed in silence, as we both tried to come to terms with what had happened. We don't know how it happened, and we don't know if anyone else died. But, we do know that we'll both need to get out of here. Bakura will probably be able to tell us apart. Then, he'll take what he wants from the Pr- from Atem, and he'll kill me. Probably, we'll both be dead, because now Atem is the Pharaoh, and probably, it's the title that Bakura wants.

Based on the rate of degradation of my stomach, evening feeding time was near. This is it. I can't fail again.

The door opened up and two plates were dropped onto the ground. I was on my feet and coming closer quickly. My rapid approach made the guard pause. I strode right up to him and kicked one of the plates. It flipped over and food flew upward at him, dirtying his clothes.

"Wh-" The guard started, confused by my actions. He stopped short, however, because I threw myself up onto my toes, the taller the better, and I threw a punch forward. It landed square on his nose, because he wasn't expecting it, and I almost managed to land another blow. My arm was caught and I was hoisted into the air. I flinched, but glared and tried to swing my leg forward to kick him in the stomach. He punched me straight in the chest and dropped me to the ground. I crawled forward and tried to grab at his ankles, and he kicked me in the gut.

"What the hell, kid?" He demanded.

I rolled over, getting back onto my feet. I saw Atem standing back against the wall, watching.

"You killed the Pharaoh." I grunted, masking my anger with a different source of grief. I swiped out again, trying to attack the massive man in futility. If I actually manage to hurt the bastard, bonus points.

"It wasn't me, but sure. Sure." He pushed me away again.

I screamed wordlessly and leapt at him, landing on top of him and scratching whatever I could get ahold of. He started to get more irritated and bothered, and he threw me off. I crawled backward as he approached me. My back hit the wall, the bed under me, and he was punching me in the side. They landed on my face too, and I knew I was getting bruises everywhere; one of my eyes was going to be swollen.

Then, it was all over. "Shit." The guard realized what he'd done. "I'm going to get in trouble for screwing up your face if you're the real one." Then, he was gone.

"Yuugi?" Atem's voice asked shakily, from somewhere nearby.

I trembled, shaking, my stomach churning. My hands were bloody, but I leaned on them full force. I was on my hands and knees, head hanging down, just before I puked.

"Yuugi." Atem came closer quickly, and I felt a hand carefully land on my back. "You idiot, what did you do that for? The bed is filthy now, and-"

I looked up at him grinning, thinking one of my teeth might be loose.

"You did it to soil the bed. It can be washed, they won't just bring in a new one. But, it will take them longer to wash it." He sat back, leaning away from me with wide eyes. I tried to sit up proper and nodded.

"Remember, they were complaining about not having very many beds? They won't want to bring a new one in if this one can be washed." I insisted.

"Brilliant." He laughed. "That's why you've been picking a fight with them this whole time! Brilliant!" He hugged me unexpectedly.

I flinched, "Ow." He leaned away quickly.

"Sorry. But, that looked like it hurt." He looked me over, holding out a hand like he wanted to touch some bruise or another. "Was all of that really necessary?"

"Of course. This way, you can sneak off to get that Puzzle of yours, and you can escape. This should buy us plenty of time, don't you think?" I paused a moment to cough. I covered my mouth, but when I pulled my hand away, I saw more blood. I felt my face get warm and I quickly wiped it off on the bed.

"Was that blood?" His tone changed, and so did his expression. "Yuugi, this isn't the first time you've been beaten like that, is it?"

"No, but it's fine." I gave him a grin. "Don't worry about that, I'll be fine." I already know they're going to kill me once he leaves and they realize I'm definitely not the real Prince… or… Pharaoh…

"Come on." He sighed, standing up and walking toward the washroom. I struggled to get to my feet and limped after him. He had a flimsy cloth, one of the ones they had in here for us to wash with, dunked into the water basin, before turning back to me. I flinched when he started to clean off my face, but I tried to hold still.

A while later, I was cleaned up and he had an unhappy look on his face. We sat side by side against the wall we usually cast shadow puppets onto, staring at the soiled bed. It smelled awful, and clearly he wasn't going to sleep on it tonight.

"I'm tired." He stated.

"The ground isn't so bad." I tried to assure him. "It's smooth, at the very least."

He sighed and nodded, avoiding looking at me as he stood up to turn the torch out. However, once all light was gone, earlier than he'd usually turn it out, I didn't hear his footsteps. I laid down against the wall, feeling my injuries on the cool stone, and closed my eyes. A minute or two passed before his voice echoed hauntingly through the darkness.

"Yuugi?" It was quiet, so quiet there was no worry at all that someone might overhear even if they stood in the room with us. I wouldn't have heard it if I hadn't been so hyperaware, as the darkness always gets me.

"Hm?" I hummed.

"Would you mind if I laid by you?" His voice was still very quiet, and he clearly didn't want to ask it. But, he wanted it.

"Not at all." I insisted, giving a grin into the terrifying darkness. "Here." I spoke up again after a moment, thinking maybe he needed help navigating the darkness.

I sensed him lay down nearby, then I felt him just on my other side. I was now wedged between the wall and the new Pharaoh. It was an odd situation, but as long as we'd already been here together, I couldn't think much of it. And to add to it, a certain portion of my thoughts was already spent to my injuries.

He shifted uncomfortably a few times, moving closer, then farther away quickly, on his side, on his back, but he'd never slept on the ground a day in his life. He had enough trouble sleeping on the thin mattress on the other side of the room.

"Here." I reached over tentatively, and I think I touched his shoulder. I tugged, suggesting he adjust as I motioned, and he obliged. Now, he laid somewhat on top of me, with his head off the ground at the very least. It was on my stomach, in a position I could easily sleep in even with my injuries. Of course, it did put a bit more pressure on them, but they were already going to give me trouble.

"Are you in pain?" He asked, not relaxing quite yet.

"I'm fine." I assured, awkwardly dropping my arm to the ground. I'll have to stay on my back the whole night now, though. I was going to have to anyway, with how much the side of my leg hurt.

We both fell into an awkward silence, during which time I thought he'd fallen asleep. I blinked my eyes and reached up to touch the swollen part around my left eye. The darkness was baring down on me, and even though I felt the breathing of another living being with me, and it was a little better, I was still uneasy.

I let out a shaky breath, shivering slightly.

"Are you sure you aren't in pain?" His voice spoke up again. I jumped slightly, startled by any voice in the darkness, and his seems to ghost through it.

"Really, I'm fine. You're not laying on any of them but a small bruise or two. I'm totally alright." I insisted; I thought he'd gone to sleep.

A few more moments passed, before he let out an audible yawn and I jumped again. Seconds trickled by and I held my teeth clenched. I can't even curl up in the corner tonight!

"Yuugi, are you afraid of the dark?"

I nearly sat up, but his weight kept me down. He didn't adjust or respond to this. I started stuttering. "N- of course not- I'm nearly an adult! I couldn't possibly… I'm not…"

"It's alright if you are." He interrupted. "Are you?"

I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. Not even Grandpa knows. "Yes."

"I'm sorry."

In the morning, we got dirty looks after the guard looked at the bed. We sat silently eating our food until they left us alone to stand at the doors. Then, we met each other's eyes and I stood up. I started running the opposite direction that Atem says the gold things are hidden, and I started to make a ruckus. I drew the attention of the guard who stood at the door, and the one hidden in the other room. I threw a fit over my injuries, and they gave one look to Atem patiently eating before deciding to worry about me. Bakura would be upset if I'm the one and I've got ruffed up like this. They tried to talk me into going to get cleaned up, but I didn't want to leave the room. They tried to carry me, and I cried out exaggeratedly. Atem left to find the gold things, and a third guard member – all three of them that I've seen here – came with medical things to clean me up with. The entire time, the other two were glaring at the one that had beaten me up.

It took a while. I told them I was allergic to whatever they were using. They started to get convinced that I was the real one, because I seemed more disturbed after news that the Pharaoh had died. I was acting more like a spoiled upper class kid. They didn't even notice that Atem was gone until it was too late.

"Hey!" Atem's voice boomed across the room. He wore his gold bands, and one of our cloaks was tied to his back with other things in it. Around his neck hung a golden chain, and from the golden chain hung the Millennium Puzzle.

"Shit." One of the thieves cursed.

"Get away from him!" Atem was walking closer.

"Get him." Someone demanded, and two of them started forward to take down Atem. The one that had beaten me up last night stayed back, gripping my arm and keeping me from running forward to help. He gripped tightly, right on one of the worse bruises. I yelped in pain, and a dark aura flooded through the room. I looked over to see Atem had changed. Something was different about him, and it wasn't just the glowing eye on his forehead.

"Let go of him." Atem demanded, gripping the Millennium Puzzle. "I want to play a game."

"A game?" They started laughing. "Get a load of this kid."

"Is that a Millennium Item?" The one restraining me gasped.

"Shit!"

"Let's play a game." Atem repeated, raising his chin. Confidence and spite rolled off him, and even I was intimidated now. "We'll race. All three of you against just me."

"Not your little friend?" The one holding me scoffed, hoisting me into the air.

"Just me." He repeated.

I was let go. "Sure. And once we beat you, we're going to take that Millennium Item, and Bakura will be very pleased with us."

Atem started to grin a terrifying grin. He didn't seem like the nice, playful kid I'd known for the last few days, but like a terrifying and powerful Pharaoh, ready to exact revenge on his captors.

"Very good."

Suddenly, the room around us was changing. It got darker, and the room got larger. The tables disappeared, and everything was so dark I could barely see. All four of them was on the opposite end of four long paths, winding and twisting up and down, crossing over each other. I was crouched on the ground, as I'd landed when I'd been released, beneath four torches, which threw plenty of light around me and the finish line.

"The first one to collect their light wins." Atem stated the rules, and I heard his voice all the way over here as well as I would have right next to him.

"Wait!" I don't like these odds. They're all bigger than him, and between each of their paths is a bottomless pit. They will be completely willing to throw him down there to win! They'll kill him!

"Game start." Atem finalized it, and they all took off. They all three were farther ahead than him, but he didn't seem bothered. I remained frozen where I was as I watched the game progress.

When one of them came near him, they'd try to push him over, to attack him, and my heart leapt every time. However, he remained balanced and stable, moving on. They struggled to race each other, even though they were on the same side. One almost fell into the pit when the other pushed past him. Atem continued on calmly. He was fast, though, and every time they threw him back, he caught up quickly. He might actually win!

Then, they were almost at the end. Each one of them wanted to be the first to grab a torch, despite the fact only one of them had to do it. The one that had beaten me up actually tripped one of the others, throwing them back into Atem's way. Then, the third one was almost upon me, reaching up to grab a torch, and the one that beat me up was clearly upset. He launched forward and knocked the third one away, going to grab his own torch. Meanwhile, the one that had been tripped was grabbing ahold of Atem and attempting to pull him back toward the pit.

"No!" I cried out, just as the scene above my head was taking place. I jumped forward, reaching out to Atem so he wouldn't fall. His arm struck out to grasp mine, and we were both pulled onto our feet as the ground became even more unstable. The three torches on the wall were extinguishing, and I began trembling. My arm was around Atem's shoulders and he had an arm around my middle, supporting me.

"You three can't stop fighting with each other to accomplish anything." Atem mused. "Going as far as to not only sabotage me, but also one another. You cheated, as I knew that you would, and your pride has gotten in the way. For this, you will pay."

"Ah, but I won." The one that beat me up taunted, holding the last light in the room. The others had gone out, and he waved his torch about, gloating that he'd defeated Atem.

Atem's arm tightened around my middle. The last torch went out.

"Here is your penalty game." His voice echoed through the pitch darkness. Ghost images of each of those three were burned into my eyes, and even though I didn't feel any change in our surroundings, it was suddenly deathly quiet. It was like we were the only ones in here. I didn't hear voices, footsteps, or even breathing.

* * *

So? What did you think? I hope you'll be interested in reviewing. If not, that's fine too.

Have fun!


	6. Candies and Questions

Second to last chapter, not including epilogue. I might get the entire story out tonight. How nice.

I hope you like it.

* * *

"What did you do with them?" I asked, trembling.

"Don't worry about it." He brushed off, and started walking. We turned, and I limped alongside him.

"But, are… are they dead?"

"No. They are suffering a penalty game, and whether they ever recover from it is up to them." He stated coolly, without any emotion.

I couldn't find my voice, to say anything else, as we continued onward. The darkness is so thick, I can't see anything. Normally, without torches, I should be able to see something in this room because of the windows so high up, but the shadows seemed to linger from his game. His hand, which gripped mine that laid over his shoulders, disappeared, and a door was pulled open. It was a short hallway at a steep incline upward. There was a door on the other side, outlined in a glowing white color. The longer my eyes had to adjust, the less white it looked. It's actually blue… it's… daylight.

He opened this door too, and I had to squint to avoid being blinded. I looked back, over my shoulder, to see the room we had left behind. It was still dark, but it looked otherwise normal. No bottomless pits, no winding paths, just a room.

The building we walked out of was disguised as a normal community dining hall, boarded up and out of use. There were several of those throughout the city, abandoned due to the declining interest of us common folk to be out and about. Bakura has become such a threat to our population that everyone wants to eat alone, in their own homes, and no one is allowed out after nightfall. The priests enforce the curfew, but apparently, they never noticed that this building goes deep underground.

"Can you make it all the way back to the palace?" Atem asked me. He was squinting too, and it seems like my eyes were adjusting quicker than his.

"I know somewhere closer that we can go." I told him, recognizing our location well. "Down the street, that way."

He followed my instructions, supporting most of my weight as we went. We got odd looks from people as we passed, and I could hear whispers behind us, but no one approached us. I couldn't tell what they were thinking, and at the moment, I didn't care.

He knocked on the door I brought us to, and when there was no answer, he knocked again.

"Just open it up." I suggested.

"Just open it? I don't make a habit of barging into strangers' homes." He objected.

"It isn't a stranger's home." I grinned to him. "It's mine."

He stared at me for a moment with wide eyes, before nodding and reaching forward to open the door.

He brought me over to my own bed roll, which is similar to the one he'd been sleeping on for several days, before laying down directly on the ground. He was breathing heavily, closed eyes, and I watched him for a moment. We're free. We're back in my own home, somewhere I didn't know if I'd ever get to see again. I'm back home, instead of pretending to be the Prince. The Prince – ah – the Pharaoh is here with me now!

I started laughing. A moment later, he joined me. We were both laughing on the ground, filled with relief and skepticism that what had just happened really happened. It's over. We're safe.

We sat facing each other on my mattress a while later, eating the sweets that I had stored in the wooden box at the head of my bed. I usually save these for a special occasion, but I think that this might be one. We were doing this, silently eating the sweets together, when the door opened again. Grandpa came in and shut the door, dropping his equipment on the ground before he realized that we were here. He looked older than he was, and exhausted, but the instant his eyes fell on us, he just lit up. He came running over, ready to hug one of us, before he stopped and hesitated.

"Yuugi?" He couldn't tell the difference between us; we were both wearing the same Prince garb, though it was dirty and ruffled. We both wore the gold pieces, as Atem insisted I put mine back on, and we were both sitting slouched over and eating my favorite candies.

"Here, Grandpa." I handed my candy over to Atem, who took it and watched me struggle to get to my feet. I hugged Grandpa, flinching when he squeezed too tight, and I felt my eyes water. "I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to make you worry. But, it was for a good cause, I promise."

"All those men told me was that you were going to be staying at the palace. What happened? Why? Who is this?" He finally let me go and looked down to Atem.

"This is my friend, the Pr…." I trailed off, realizing this was not an appropriate title anymore.

He flinched and looked down, recognizing my thoughts. "Atem."

"This is my friend, Atem. Bakura had some common thieves kidnap him, so the priests, the guys you talked to, had me dress up like him until he was rescued. Because we look alike. So, I went to find him, and the thieves couldn't tell which of us was really him, so they kept us both. And, today, we finally escaped."

"You're the Prince, aren't you?" Grandpa put the pieces together.

Atem stood up and bowed his head, humbled. "Not any longer. Right now, I imagine the palace has put Seto into my place, in my father's absence and mine. Had Yuugi stayed, rather than leaving to find me, he would be acting as Pharaoh now."

"Pharaoh." Grandpa was clearly shaken. He was quickly out of breath and leaning on me. "He's gone?"

"I guess it isn't common knowledge yet." I met Atem's eyes, struggling to support my Grandpa's weight without using my left leg.

"Come on, sit back down." Atem insisted, standing up and approaching us. "Now that your grandfather is here, I will travel to the palace."

"No!" I objected, reaching out. Grandpa had already let me go, and now I was wrapping my arms around Atem. "Don't go out there on your own. Bakura really wants you and your Puzzle, they'll just attack you again. Let me go with you."

"We came here because you are in no shape to travel that far on foot. I will return with a guide and a horse, and we'll bring you back to the palace to get some medical attention." He insisted, trying to pull me off him. I held tight, easily picturing another group of thieves attacking him. Or, possibly, attempting to attack him but failing to as he uses that Puzzle to do… whatever that was again. I don't want anyone else getting hurt.

"You both stay here." Grandpa interrupted. I finally pulled away, and Atem put his hands on my upper arms to keep me steady. "Yuugi, you look awful, but my Pharaoh, you don't look too great either. I'll go, and I'll try to bring someone back to get both of you."

"Take this." Atem slipped his golden headpiece off and gave it to my grandfather. "Cover it in cloth until you reach the gates, then ask for one of my priests."

Grandpa nodded, giving us both a smile. "Take care of my Yuugi, will you. It looks like you've done a very good job so far." He didn't sound sarcastic or anything, but there was something different about his tone, and I felt I was missing something that the Atem got. He nodded, and Grandpa left.

We sat back down on my bed, and Atem pulled me to lean in on him. "This is where you grew up?"

"No. We've only lived here since my parents died. That was about two or three years ago. Before then, we lived out on the edges of the city, near the larger farms. Grandpa's too old to do that sort of work, so he took up a job with the smaller ones here." I explained.

"How did your parents die?" He wondered, hands resting with his fingers interlocked over my stomach. "If you don't mind my asking."

I thought a moment, but wasn't particularly bothered. "It's alright. Ah, do you remember that epidemic that came through a few years ago? It took them."

"I believe I remember a few of the servants falling ill then, yes." He mused. "Do you work in the fields too, then?"

"Usually." I nodded, my muscles relaxing the longer I laid here. "But I also like to whittle. I make a little off from selling them. Usually duel monsters. Oh, do you want to see some?"

"Of course." He released me so I could sit up and crawl back over to my wooden box. I came back over and handed over a couple. Some were finished, some weren't.

"These are very good. I believe I've dueled some people on the plaza who held some of these. They were from you?"

I shrugged. "Maybe. I doubt I'm the only one who does this."

"These are spectacular, nonetheless." He handed them all back but one. It was incomplete, and I've been working a long time on it. I've messed it up, and I've tossed those ones into the fire, but I think this one should turn out fine. The wings are hard to shape without breaking, but I really want them to be spread out. "Are these the only things you carve?"

"Oh, no." I laughed, then coughed. He lowered his arm to stare at me until after I'd finished. He didn't say anything though, so I ignored it too. "I make all sorts of toys. For younger kids, or just for puzzles and building, you know." I pointed over to a pile of larger, more blocky shapes. "I've even made a few musical instruments." I didn't have any of those on hand to show off, though.

"This is all very interesting." He went back to inspecting my partially finished dragon.

"And what do you do for fun?" I asked. He hesitated, seemingly startled by my question.

"Excuse me?"

"I only spent about a day in your life, and I never found out much about you. I know you have lessons, you hang out with Mana, and you sneak out at night to play games in the plaza, but what do you do for fun? During the day?"

"Not much." He admitted. "I highly enjoy playing games, and the only person I can play them with is Mana, however, she's usually very busy with her magic lessons. She's doing very well, and I hate to take her from her lessons, so I typically spend a lot of my time sneaking about the palace and insuring I don't get caught. I know all of the passage ways, and it's very rare that I am found when I don't want to be. However, once you've learned all the secrets that which it holds, it gets rather boring simply exploring the palace. That's one of the reasons I leave it."

"Ah… I didn't really mean to invade your privacy or anything, but I saw some pictures in your desk. Do you like to draw, or did someone give those to you?"

He, for the first time, seemed to be at a loss for words.

"I'm sorry, I just got really bored hiding in there all day." I put my hands up.

"No." He gave the dragon back to me. "It's alright. Yes, I do enjoy drawing. My mother taught me how, and it isn't often others see them. Not since she passed. I haven't progressed in skill much since she passed, and I'm not very good." He insisted, but I frowned in trying to remember them. That doesn't sound right at all.

"Ah… are we talking about the same pictures? Mostly of people. Some were of Seth, and the other servant boy, some of the priests, and there were a couple self-portraits that weren't done."

"Those are the ones." He nodded, still not looking at me. "I don't much like drawing while looking into a mirror."

"But those are spectacular. They're so life-like, and you're really good." I crossed my arms. "You're just being humble."

"You're just being nice."

"No I'm not-"

"You are though." His tone changed and he gave me an odd look. "You're always being nice, and pleasant, and going out of your way to help me, a person you barely know. Actually, you know next to nothing about me. At first I thought it was an act; no one is that pleasant and nice, but, you are. I can't understand it; people don't just get themselves kidnapped and risk death for someone they've never even met. And they don't get beaten to an inch of their lives just to lay the foundation of an escape plan they won't even be a part of. You didn't care at all if I left you behind, but you went out of your way to make sure I was okay."

I fell silent, understanding what he was saying. I don't think there's anything I can say to help him though, because he's got to figure it out himself. I don't pretend to be nicer than I am, and he's just got to figure out what that means for him. Usually, people don't like me and they think I'm being annoying. They think I'm acting too hard to be likeable and they push me away. Sometimes violently, and a fear began to settle into my stomach that now that he's started to get to know me, he's going to leave me behind too. I mean, of course he will; he's the Pharaoh now. He lives in the palace, he's got responsibilities, and he's way out of my league. After this is all over, we're probably never going to see each other again. But, you know, I think I'll be alright with that, because at least I'll know he's alright. He's safe, and that's what I set out to do.

"I can't understand you." He shook his head, frowning. "I hated you at first. I thought you were weak and pathetic, and that you made a better Prince than I did, because I would have never risked my life to save someone I didn't know."

"I'm not-"

"But I don't anymore." He cut me off, not letting me talk. "You are… light. You're light, and just because I can't understand it doesn't mean I can't accept it. I'm not light; I'm dark. I'm dark, and I'm selfish, and I'm skeptic. I still don't understand you, and I know you can't understand me yet, but I'm alright with that. I'm not light like you, but I want to keep you."

"What?" My heart skipped a beat. I stared at his face, but he refused to meet mine.

"You'll come to live in the palace with me now. Your grandfather may come too." He wasn't asking me, but he's also warning me now. He looks guilty about it, but, how can he be selfish if he's so worried about me? I can tell already that if I objected, if I told him I really don't want to go live in the palace with him, he wouldn't make me. But he wants this.

I smiled, and his eyes finally flickered toward me. "Come and live in the castle, and do what? Just hang out?"

He looked away again. "You will carve as much as you'd like to. Your pieces will be sold with greater prestige, and you will be provided whatever materials you'd like. You'll receive an education. Your grandfather may work in the royal gardens, if he wishes."

"That sounds great." I admitted, lowering my head. "To go back there and not have to pretend to be someone I'm not."

"It must have been particularly difficult for you." He mused. "Since we seem to be such opposites."

I smiled, not knowing what else to say now. As the silence ticked by, I looked down around us, and our conversations from before Grandpa began to come back to me. "Wait a moment, where'd my candy go?"

I looked back up to the Pharaoh, to see his pursed lips and red face. He blatantly avoided my eyes, acting like he hadn't heard me. Laughter began to bubble in my stomach.

"Did you actually eat my candy?" I demanded, and he turned to face farther away from me. He started to crack a smile as I laughed. I lunged forward and tackled him, ignoring my bruises. "No fair, you ate all yours!"

"You shouldn't have given it to me!" He laughed back, poking at me. "I'll get you more. I'll get you candies you've never even heard of."

"And then I'll eat all yours." I taunted, poking back at him.

* * *

A fluffy moment here and there is only necessary. I puzzleship and blindship, but it's complicated. I love them together, hands down absolutely, they are literal soul mates. But... I mean quite literal. As in, two physical halves of a single soul, to the point where Yami/Atem thinks himself selfish for worrying about Yuugi, because they are one. If I had to put words to it, I would say the perfect ship between them (in my eyes) is asexual, but still close. Romance, sure.

But that isn't to say I'm opposed to stories where they're shipped together in the regular sense of the word, since my shipping is so specific. This just means that's how their relationships are always intended to be in my stories. If you want them to just be really good friends, then have at it. If you want them to get married and share a bed, that's great too. My ship is somewhere in between.

If anything made you think, or if you have any questions, or if you are just reminded of something by my story, then please, review. Have a nice day!


	7. Power Vacuum

The last chapter! It took a lot longer than I was expecting. I was re-reading it, to make sure there weren't any horrible grammatical errors or continuity inconsistencies when I realized I needed to give it something else. I wanted to put something else, make these conversations worth it's own chapter. Make it feel more like the last chapter, and like the beginning of the rest of their lives. So this is what I came up with.

I hope you like it. I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh! at all.

* * *

I was no longer than two hours later that a brisk knock rasped on the door. One of the voices outside sounded like Grandpa's, but for some reason he wasn't just opening the door. Atem stood up, and once again his persona seemed to change. He stopped being Atem, my friend, and he became the Prince of Egypt.

He pulled the door open, and in front of him I could see the same three Priests that kidnapped me.

"Atem!" Mahad buckled and went forward to hug him with more familiarity than I was expecting. Seto and Karim maintained more professional levels of relief. I bet Atem and Mahad are closer friends than just that of a priest and the Prince. "Are you alright? Where were they holding you?"

"I am fine." Atem insisted. "It was a building, not far from here. Or rather, a dungeon disguised as a building. I am well, but Yuugi is not." He stepped aside and gestured back to me. "Have you brought enough horses?"

They looked back, and Atem sighed. "He'll ride with me."

"We did not intend to replace you, my Prince, we only…" They seemed to be at a loss for words, but Atem didn't care. He was turning his back on them and walking back toward me.

"You did well. This boy was the one to find me, and he was the reason I was able to escape from there. Now, I would like Isis to look at him, I fear he has a broken rib." He helped me to my feet.

"I don't have a broken rib." I shook my head. He gave me a skeptic look and jabbed a finger into a predetermined spot in my left side. I gasped and doubled over, leaning on him to avoid falling down. His arms were around me, to keep me up until I recovered. "It's probably just… bruised…" I allowed.

He rolled his eyes and pulled me over to the door. He was addressing the Priests again, and now from here I can see Grandpa standing behind them all. "Thank you, all of you, for doing what you had to rescue me. First and foremost, I'd like to see Isis. Then, I believe we have some topics to discuss." He continued through and took us both straight toward a horse. I've never ridden on a horse before, and the great tall animal was rather intimidating to me.

I was handed off to Mahad so that Atem could climb up, them Mahad helped me up. When I was settled there, I had to double over to clutch my ribs, really starting to think that Atem was right. He had his arms around my stomach to keep me balanced. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine." I breathed, sitting back up. Grandpa had come closer with a look of concern. I gave him a smile. "I'm alright."

"Please, come back and see me when you're done." Grandpa insisted. Is he not coming? Alright, well, that's alright.

Atem was holding the reins from behind me, pulling the horse around and riding out toward the palace gates. We went much quicker than when we'd walked. This time, we came in through the stables. I still didn't know my way around the palace, so we might have just been in a different part than I'd been in before, but everything seemed different. There was no one in the halls, no one painting, and I couldn't hear any voices behind any doors. The entire place felt somber, despite the return of their prince. Well, their prince, now king.

Once I was being tended to by the Priestess of the Millennium Necklace, Atem stepped aside to talk with Seto and Mahad. Karim had gone, informing the others of his return.

"My prince, much has happened while you were gone."

"Not prince anymore, right?"

"Then you already know?"

"Yes." There was a moment of silence. "They couldn't help but to come in and gloat to us after it happened. I understand what this means. I'll assume you took charge in my father's absence?"

"Of course. And you wont be Pharaoh yet. Your return will come to put the Prince back into the throne, however, there are ceremonies to hold." Seto stated, not sounding happy about it.

"I understand." I didn't know about this. I suppose there must be a coronation for him to be Pharaoh; his father had been Pharaoh since long before I had been born. "The funeral has already been held? Will you tell me, how did it happen?"

"Perhaps we should talk about this elsewhere?"

"Don't worry about the boy. He is with me now. If you won't speak before him, I'll inform him later anyway."

"Ah, of course." There was still a moment of silence. I glanced over, as Isis wrapped a bandage around my ribs. I met Atem's eyes and gave him a smile. He gave one back, then turned back to the priests. "When you went missing, we searched high and low for you. It was already getting late when we happened upon this boy. He was similar enough in appearance to you, we thought we might pay him off to pretend to be you, so that word does not get out that our Prince had been taken. However, he was only here a day before Mana came to me and told me that he had run off in an attempt to get kidnapped just the same. I tried to stop the two of them from executing this plan, but it was too late. He'd already disappeared. You'll want to have a talk with Mana, she's beside herself with grief. But in any matter, both you and your doppelganger had disappeared, and there was no way to pretend you hadn't been taken any longer. Your father had gone before Yuugi, however. He went to find Bakura himself, taking a handful of our greatest warriors. Only one of them returned; spared to tell the tale."

"Did… my father know of Yuugi?" He wants to know if his father died thinking he had talked with his son soon before, or if he'd died knowing their last conversation had been a lie.

"He did not. We were hoping to keep the boy's involvement a secret." Seto insisted, glancing nervously over to me. "Now, will you tell us of your escape? We will investigate the building, to see if there is any sign of Bakura or his henchmen left. Then, we'll find proper compensation for the boy and his grandfather."

"They will be staying here."

"Excuse me?"

"I would like both of them moved here, into the palace. Is there space in the royal gardens for the grandfather? Someone will have to fetch him at a later time, give the man time to prepare for the move. I believe there are rooms free, in the East wing."

"I- I suppose. However, are you certain about this?"

"Entirely. Do you want to know how we escaped or not?" They fell quiet. Isis gave me the all-clear before standing and moving around to listen better. I came over hesitantly, standing beside Atem simply because I knew him best. "In the mornings, they would take us into another room, which we would eventually find to be very near to the surface. We spend a short amount of time there, but it was also near to where they kept my gold and my Puzzle. Now, last night we caused a large mess in the room, one the would require longer to clean up and would thus prolong our time in the second room. During this time, Yuugi created a distraction enough for me to find the Millennium Puzzle. I initiated a shadow game, and got the two of us out of there." He surmised rather quickly and concisely.

"You initiated a shadow game?" Seto seemed startled. "And you survived it well enough?"

"Clearly."

"Fascinating. We have not seen a successful shadow game with the Puzzle since it was in the possession of your father. Before either of us became priests."

"I am aware. It was my first successful attempt, and I won."

"You played it against…"

"Our three captors. The game was to reach Yuugi first."

"Incorporating each present human without jeopardizing the boy. Smart." He nodded, but I tilted my head curiously. The first one to me won? I thought the terms had been to claim the light. I gave him a curious look, remembering the conversation we'd had earlier. I felt my face get a little warmer as I turned back to look at the speaker. "Are you _certain_ that you want this boy, Yuugi, and his grandfather moved in, then?"

"Entirely." Atem nodded, putting an arm over my shoulders. "I'm going to be Pharaoh now, and I don't want Bakura to have the chance to hurt my friends. It's been settled then, and there are other things worth my attention. Is Yuugi healed?"

"The boy will be just fine, though I do not recommend excessive activity. No running, climbing, and he needs to rest." Isis insisted, addressing the Prince directly without glancing my way.

He nodded, looking over to me. "Do you feel alright?" I nodded. He turned back to the priests. "I'll assume the first rites have already been read? I want to visit his grave tonight, and I want to go alone. No guards or escorts. When will his tomb be ready?"

"About four moons." Mahad answered this time. "We're taking care of everything. You need to focus on your coronation. We rejoice upon your return and we mourn upon your father's passing, but Egypt needs a Pharaoh now. We'll try to push the process along, because Bakura will try to attack during this, our time of weakness."

"I don't want to start the coronation ceremony until tomorrow evening, if we can help it. That will give the cooks time to prepare, and you should have ample time to investigate our prison. Would this be alright?"

Mahad nodded, "This will do. However, before the feast, we might begin the process tonight with only-"

"I don't want to begin tonight." He stood up. "Prepare rooms for Yuugi and his grandfather. Where can I find Mana?" He was sliding an arm behind my back to help support me, indicating I would be leaving the room with him in a moment.

"She'll likely be in the court yard, sire. We'll wait until tomorrow, then. Atem, just get some rest." Mahad insisted, his tone changing in the last sentence.

Our trek out of that room was in silence, and their voices only picked back up after we had gone. Once this happened, his steps faltered and he paused, letting out a shaky breath and leaning his head on my shoulder.

"Atem?" I asked, worried about him. So much has happened, and suddenly he's got a lot more responsibilities. I don't know what ceremonies are being prepared, but I wonder if I can help?

"I'm alright." He stood upright again. "I want to see Mana first, then well go to my father."

"I thought..." He wanted to be alone for that?

"Come on." He started walking again, head held high and supporting part of my weight.

We made slow progression down the hall, but all to quickly, were reached the court yard. It was a different door than the one I used before, but it was the same location. It was mostly empty, save for a familiar figure laying on the ground party under the bench. As we approached, the figure locked up and her head rolled over to see us. Her eyes grew wide and we got about three steps closer before she screamed and rolled onto her feet, launching herself toward us and enveloping him into a tight hug. I pushed away to give them space, able to stand on my own just fine.

"Atem you idiot! You almost died, and I thought I'd never see you again. What were you doing?" Mana demanded, royalty peeved off.

He chuckled, trying to escape her embrace. "I was trying to play games in the village, like every other night."

She refused to let him go, and it looked like her cheeks were wet. "You stupid idiot, you almost died. You could have died. Are you okay? Did they hurt you?" She suddenly let go, worried she was hurting him further.

"No, I am alright. Yuugi is not so fortunate, however." He motioned to me. Now, Mana turned her attention to me, and she didn't look more pleased.

"I thought you died too. It was a stupid plan, and I was so scared that I got you killed. It was my fault. Oh, jeeze, look at you. What did they do?" She hugged me more gently than she hugged him, but I was startled – and pleased – to get one at all.

"Nothing. I'm alright." I insisted. The Prince scoffed, but didn't contradict me.

"I thought you'd both gone." She stepped back, looking between us but mostly at him. "How did you escape?"

Atem helped me toward the bench, and Mana followed patiently. She sat cross-legged on the ground in front of us, waiting expectantly. When he recounted our tale this time, he gave more detail and shared more of his thoughts, and in turn, Mana asked more questions. She asked them to both him and me; our conversation lasted much longer here than before, and as I remained quiet for most of it, I noticed that he was uncomfortable. He was relieved and happy to see his best friend again, but something is on his mind and he didn't want to be here anymore. About the time I became certain of this, I realized I could do something to help.

"I'm tired." I interrupted their conversation over the Shadow Game. Mana only glanced to me, but Atem gave me a more interested look. "I'm just tired from today. I want to sleep on a bed again."

"Of course." He stood up quickly, offering a hand to help me up. "Mana, we'll return another time. Certainly tomorrow, but tonight, we will must go."

"Yes, yes, right." She sighed. "You two have been through so much. But, I expect to see you tomorrow." She gave a smile, officially dismissing us.

We weren't headed toward the rooms. We went inside just to pass through to one of the outer doors. A new kind of silence fell about us as we went to a wooden chest in a secluded space outside the palace. This silence wasn't filled with concern or anxiety, nor was it a silence of fear or anticipation. This was a tranquil silence, where neither of us had anything more to say. I knew why he was taking me with him to see his father, and he knew I was here for him.

He left me go and went to kneel beside the chest. After a moment I joined him from respect; I found it so hard to believe that the Pharaoh was really gone. How must he feel?

"They'll begin preparing his body as my coronation ceremony begins." He spoke softly. "First, I will be marked as the next Pharaoh and the first feast will be held. It will take many moons to complete, but as well Fathers burial. During this time, I will still be prince, and Egypt will be without Pharaoh. You were dragged into all of this because you resembled the prince, and I would understand if you would rather not live here, in my shadow. However, I would like it if you did remain. You could not possibly live in my shadow, as you are the light that which my shadow is cast by. I would like it if you were to remain." He spoke with his eyes closed, head still bowed before his father's holding chest.

At first, I was completely sure he was talking to me. That was my initial thought, but he's acting like it hadn't already been decided. Like I really had a choice. I became unsure on if he was actually talking to me by the end, because it sounded more like something he would want to say to his father's spirit. However, his father wasn't the one brought in because of his coincidental appearance. He must be talking to me.

"Of course I want to stay." I have him a grin even though he couldn't see it. "Whatever I can do, I want to do it."

He let out a breath and lowered his head that much more. "Thank you." A few more minutes passed before he opened his eyes and started to stand. "Come. They'll have prepared your room. We'll go to find it."

* * *

For anyone curious, what I added in at the last minute was finalization about what was going to happen next. I just had them talking about what happened, but nothing about the coronation or the funeral. So I researched Pharaoh coronations and funerals. I didn't really mention anything about the processes - which are worth researching if anyone is interested - but at least what is said is pretty accurate. It takes about 70 days to mummify a person, and Atem's father's tomb is more than likely already started. Then, coronation into being a Pharaoh was a long process; the first year is usually called the 'coronation year', during which time they aren't even considered a Pharaoh yet. It isn't that it takes a year, it's that the ceremonies and rites just take a really long time that last to about a year. However, they're going to try to rush that along given they really need a Pharaoh right now. After all, the Pharaoh was vessel to the gods, in ancient Egypt.

Now, I do intend to give an epilogue. By epilogue, I mean it doesn't really have major plot in it, and it isn't in line with the rest of the story timeline-wise. It will take place farther into the future. At this time, I have no intention of making a sequel, though this particular story is open to a succeeding plot. I might eventually come up with something worth creating a story about in their future, but then, I might not. If anyone else wants to write a sequel, by all means, go ahead. Just reference the original, and send me a link because I definitely want to read it.

I hope you enjoyed this story! Please, leave a review with your final thoughts (or not so final as there will be an epilogue. I've got a bit more work to do on that, though).


	8. Epilogue: Inside the Millennium Puzzle

Hello everyone. I'm really, really sorry that it took me so long to publish this, especially since it's the last chapter. After making you wait so long, I feel like I should have more for you. But, the reason it took so long is because I'm terrible at endings. I've had most of this chapter written since before I published the previous one, but I couldn't find it in myself to give an actual ending. I'm terrible at it! So, eventually I came to this and I really hope it isn't too abrupt or anything.

I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh! or any of the characters.

* * *

It's the middle of the night, and Grandpa is certainly dead asleep. Had we been back in our old home, I would have walked past him on my way to the door, and he wouldn't have budged at all. Had we been in our old home, I would have made my way outside and sat out by the street to look up at the stars until I was tired, then returned back to bed. Sometimes I get restless, and this is nothing new; I just don't know my way around our new home yet. I have no idea how to get outside from where I am.

Wait, I think I do know where I am. I remember passing this conjunction the very first time I'd been here, which means that just down this direction is… yes. It's the top of the staircase that leads down to the courtyard. I could just go down that direction and be outside, to see the stars and feel the fresh air. But, this also means that just down that direction and around the corner is another familiar room, which I am mildly interested in.

Out of curiosity, I went that direction. But when I stood before it, I wasn't quite sure where I expected to go with this. He's probably sleeping, so I should probably just turn around and go to the courtyard and hang out until I'm ready to go back to bed.

I heard movement inside, a drawer moving and something rolling. No, he's still awake. So, I knocked.

There was nothing at first, until I knocked lightly again. A chair scraped against the stone ground, and light footsteps came this direction. The door cracked open, and I saw candlelight inside, off toward the desk.

"Yuugi?" He stared at me in surprise. "What are you doing up?"

"Sometimes I can't sleep, so I go outside to sit," I responded, not really sure where I was expecting to go with this. Why come here? I mean, I sort of missed him. For the past three days, he's been so busy acting as Pharaoh, I've barely seen him at all. I know I have no right to request any of his time; we only knew each other a short time and under unfavorable circumstances at that, but I thought I could call him a friend by the end. I miss him.

"Well, the courtyard is nearby. Just down the stairs, back that direction." He pointed, past me. I glanced back automatically, before looking back to him.

"I know."

"Then, what do you want?" He raised his eyebrows.

I felt my heart skip a beat, putting under the spot like this. But, I stepped under it, so I don't really have any right to complain. Really, I just want to hang out with him. That probably sounds petty and childish of me, though.

"I came to see if you were still up too. What are you doing up?" I asked, hedging.

He opened the door up a bit more and let me see past. His desk was clearly in use, and a few sheets of paper laid out with pencils and knives to sharpen them with. "I'm drawing. I haven't done it in a while, but our discussion made me think of it again."

I grinned. "That's really neat."

A moment of silence passed between us, with him staring at me curiously and waiting, and me avoiding eye contact as I stared at his desk for longer than was necessary. I'd already finished, but, I didn't want to look back at him. I should go.

"Goodnight, Pharaoh." I bid, sucking it up and meeting his eyes. I gave him a pleasant smile, an honest one as I wished him honestly good dreams.

He sighed, drowning out my farewell, and reached forward to grab my arm. He pulled me inward, and I seized up. "Wait-"

"Stay a while." He insisted, closing the door behind me. "I didn't bring you here to the palace to be a stranger. And I don't want to have to get kidnapped again for you to open up to me once more. Take a seat, relax, and stop looking at me like I'm some god." He motioned toward the small sofa that sat near the door, sort of at an angle to the desk.

I sat down hesitantly, looking around and waiting for someone to show up and throw a fit. I'm not supposed to be in here. Only Atem and his servants… and his father. His father could come in, and I wonder why that was? Is it that rule that applies to me, or am I in here because I'm in the palace under his jurisdiction, and thus considered one of his servants?

"What are you drawing?" I asked, trying to relax as he suggested.

He had no problem plopping back down at his desk and pushing papers around. He leaned one direction, folding a leg upward and staring down at the paper.

"One of the Shadow Monsters. See here." He held it up toward me. "I haven't drawn much without looking at it before, so it's rather difficult."

"I've got a carving of that one." I thought. "What if I brought it?"

He tossed a grin my direction before moving back to the paper. "That might be nice. You'll have to bring it next time, then."

"Next time?" I mused, glancing around again.

"Of course." He paused in what he was doing and turned to me directly. "Or do you not intend to return here again?"

"I'd love to come back." I agreed, relaxing a bit. "But I didn't know if I could."

"I can let into my room whoever I want, and I want to let you in." He insisted, turning back to his desk again. "I didn't bring you to the palace because I felt sorry for you. Remember, I'm selfish."

I knew there wasn't really anything productive I could say to that, so I stayed silent again. He started drawing once more. It was quiet for a minute, save for the sound of his pencil on the paper, and during that time, my eyes drew toward the window. I stood up and went over toward it. I sensed eyes on me, but only for a moment.

"Do you enjoy being outside at night, then?"

"Sort of." I mused. "I don't like being alone in the dark much, but I really like the stars. And the fresh air."

"I enjoy it too, at least, as much as one can when utilizing the darkness to evade authority." He laughed. I joined him. "The stars are nice too."

I looked around the room; it was almost exactly as I remember it. However, on the bedside table just behind me, there was a golden pyramid sitting on its side, with a golden chain settled around it. I came closer to get a better look, but I didn't even lift my arms to touch it. "What are the Millennium Items?"

He didn't answer at first, and I heard his pencil scratching at the paper for a few more moments. Then, when he finished with whatever he'd been focused on, he turned completely in the chair to face me. Have I stepped out of my boundaries? Am I not allowed to know?

"Do you really want to know?" He asked, seriously. "If you expected to stay here for a short while before returning to bed, this would not be the conversation to have now."

I stood upright, not expecting such an ultimatum. But, he seemed entirely willing to tell me. Actually, he seemed eager to talk about them. I wasn't tired at all, so, I nodded. "I do."

He grinned, shifting in the chair to get comfortable. I went back over to sit on the small sofa once more.

"There are seven of them; six held by my six priests, and one by me. My father held it originally, but about two years ago, he gave it to me to master. I still don't think I've mastered it entirely, but as the Pharaoh, it's my responsibility to use it. Collectively, their purpose is to judge and weigh souls; to punish those who are corrupt, and to harvest the power within. Individually, they each have powers that benefit their wearer. For example, Isis can see into the future a short amount by using her necklace, and Karim's scales weigh a person's soul to a feather. See, they all have their own powers, and in my court, soon, they will be used to judge Bakura and to bring him to justice." He stopped here, seeming to anticipate another question.

"Like… back when you rescued the both of us? What does your Puzzle do?" I glanced over to it wearily.

"It's sort of a mystery." He admitted. "I don't entirely know, and now it's only other user is dead. I do know that it has the power to play Shadow Games, twisting the odds and ensuring the just win and the unjust are punished."

"The race, it was just an illusion?"

He shook his head. "It was real, but those men did not die. They were driven to the brink of insanity, exaggerated and hindered by their own shortcomings. If they are strong enough to overcome their own faults and vices, they will recover into better people than they had been before our game. If not, they will die insane."

"Is that it?" Is that all the Millennium Puzzle can do, or, is that all he knows with it?

He hesitated, and I realized there was something he wasn't sure about, with it. "Not quite."

"What?"

"I have discovered… another of its abilities." He looked downward, thinking hard. "I don't know if the others are even aware of this ability. It is similar to that of the Key, however, it is different than how the Key has been described to me. The Millennium Key acts as the key to a person's mind; to their Ba. Using it, a person could physically enter and invade, and even affect a person's soul. The Millennium Puzzle, on the other hand, I've found that I can use it to enter my own soul room. It's far more passive, and I haven't attempted it with anyone else yet. I haven't even informed Mana of this, yet."

"Is it fairly new, then?"

"I've known of it for nearly a year, now." He shook his head.

"Then… why tell me?" Why am I so special? Why am I allowed in this room? Why is he willing to tell me about this stuff? Why did he want me to live in the palace? Sure, I care about him and I feel like we'd bonded during our time in captivity, but, the last few days have made it clear that I'm just some kid he's decided should live in the palace. Probably as compensation for the trouble his priests had put me through.

"Because I want to try it on you."

My heart skipped a beat. "A- are you sure?"

"Unless you think it to be an invasion of your privacy." He raised his eyebrows. "I would not invade your soul room without your expressed permission."

"Of, of course. I mean, yeah, I don't mind at all." That didn't even cross my mind. "I just mean, why would you care about my mind? Wouldn't it be way more interesting to see into someone else's? Like, Mahad or Mana?"

He watched me for a moment, apparently thinking on the subject. I didn't want to interrupt, so I tried to wait patiently. However, I was starting to get anxious under his gaze. I looked away, about the room and back to the Puzzle.

"I don't think so." He finally answered. "I think your soul room may be far more interesting to me than either of theirs. And I don't particularly want to expose myself like that to either of them. They are my friends, yes, but I don't feel comfortable with the idea of allowing them anywhere near my soul room."

"You mean…" I looked back to him with a frown. "You mean you wouldn't just be looking at mine?"

"This is the Millennium Puzzle, and like a regular puzzle, it joins pieces together. At least, that is my theory." He explained. "I don't know what will happen, or if anything will happen. But after our time together in captivity, I've developed a rather egotistical attachment to you. Would you allow me to test my theory out on you?"

I grinned, rather pleased that he felt that comfortable with me. "Of course."

He smiled back and stood, walking across the room to pick up the Millennium Puzzle. Slipping the chain around his neck, he turned to approach me. I turned sideways on the small couch as he went to sit on the other side, mirroring my position to face me. He cradled the Puzzle between his hands and looked down at it. The seconds ticked by, I felt them go by counting my heart beat. He appeared to get frustrated.

"It's not working?" I tilted my head, looking between his face and the Puzzle.

"Here." He suddenly held it up between the two of us. He removed one of his hands and looked to me. "Place your hand here."

I hesitated, confident that a commoner such as myself was never meant to touch a Millennium Item. My hand hovered a few inches away from it, and while I was talking myself into closing that distance, his hand came back up and sandwiched mine to the Puzzle.

Moments later, the strangest sensation came over me. I felt light-headed, but it just kept going. I blacked out, but my consciousness never left me. I was on my feet now, somehow, in a much brighter room.

Blinking my eyes open, I looked about myself with a resonating sense of shock. Bright light, like the sun, came from nowhere, for there were no windows or torches. The walls were flat and white. A bedroll sat in the corner, but was almost unrecognizable as the floor was littered with toys and games of all kinds. I recognized them all, a thrilling sense of excitement rushing through me as I admired them all.

Eventually, my inspection of the room drew me to the lone door. It hung open, directly into what looked like a hallway. I approached this hallway, sticking my head out to look either direction. It seemed to go on forever, disappearing into the darkness when the light radiating from the room behind me. I easily made the decision to never explore this. Rather, directly across the hall from me was another door. This one was gilded and clearly very important, compared to the door that hung open behind me, which was a normal wooden door.

As I stared, it cracked open. I couldn't see much behind him as he came out, as the door shut behind him once more once he stood in the hall, but what I could see was somewhat similar to the room we'd both just left from. It was dim and there were large pieces of furniture. He, of course, being Atem; the Prince soon-to-be Pharaoh of Egypt. He wore his white robes and golden adornments, appearing in his most royal outfit. And, he was grinning down at me, at least a head taller than me.

"So, it worked." I smiled back whole-heartedly.

"It did."

* * *

I would definitely say that this is a story I could make a sequel to, but I don't want to get anyone's hopes up. More than likely, I'll start to write one, but produce about a chapter every few months until I get stuck and leave it for half a year. So, I guess, review and tell me if you'd want me to wait until I've got all/most of the chapters to a sequel finished so you don't have to deal with my unpredictable writing schedule or if you'd just want me to publish them as they are finished.

Also, please review and tell me how you liked/disliked what you read here. It helps me to process future stories to produce the best I can. And, I suppose, if anyone really wants to see something happen in the sequel, there's no harm in suggesting it.

Have a great life, guys!


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